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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to declare the building of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he desires his government to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The simple truth 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 administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Number 10 relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. 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 a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with MPs and listening to the public. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. 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 story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 report on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

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

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.