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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to declare the development of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he desires his government to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change 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 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 getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics 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 maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury 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 Core of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to address these matters in the summer or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the author 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. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.