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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to reveal the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the country more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot transform the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Downing Street are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to address these matters last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.