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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

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 does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. 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 has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.