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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the building of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job 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 Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to parliamentarians and hearing 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 are often party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His inability to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and No 10, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.