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

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to 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 manage the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges 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 MPs and hearing the citizens. Premiers 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 tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.