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Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it attempting to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street 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 evolved into more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot change the political culture on his own, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures as well as the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.