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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he desires his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, 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 grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the central government office and No 10, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

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

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of past failures along with the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.