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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to declare the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. Firstly, he desires his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the public. Premiers 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 the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of past failures as well as the author of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.