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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to announce the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate 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 Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, 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, partly, the nation more generally – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the culture of politics on his own, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth 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 is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the problems in Downing Street are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of past failures along with the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.