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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to declare the construction of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement 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. Rather, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture on his own, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country 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 interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• 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 overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like restructuring the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of previous shortcomings along with the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.