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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to declare 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 devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he can take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Number 10 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 does not make good personnel choices, 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 by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to parliamentarians and hearing the public. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or afterward implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the author of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.