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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his government to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, partly, the country more generally – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core far better than he does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• 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 the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of past failures as well as the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.