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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to declare the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time attempting to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the culture of politics on his own, but he can take action about his personal involvement 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 could discover that the country was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with MPs and listening to the public. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.