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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to 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 far better than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with MPs and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, 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 March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and No 10, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

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