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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become more generally. Firstly, he desires his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to transform the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the public. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of past failures along with the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.