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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 significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the problems in Downing Street are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.