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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not devote extensive 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 journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his government to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change the political culture single-handedly, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers spend too much time abroad and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with MPs and hearing the public. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the positions 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 many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.