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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to announce the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture single-handedly, but he can take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he 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 effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to MPs and hearing the public. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

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

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the casualty of past failures as well as the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.