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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to reveal 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 devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the positions of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings along with the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.