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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to announce the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, partly, the country more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to transform the political culture on his own, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core far better than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the problems in Number 10 are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, 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 politically ambitious, overstep boundaries 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 a think tank's spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of past failures as well as the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.