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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to declare the development of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, partly, the country more generally – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot change the political culture single-handedly, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings along with the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.