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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot change the political culture on his own, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics 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 stick with 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 dithered about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 study on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.