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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to change the political culture on his own, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he 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 successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the issues in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available 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 casualty of previous shortcomings along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.