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Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he desires his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this due to the way he – and, partly, the country more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core far better than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues last July or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of past failures along with the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.