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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it attempting to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the political culture single-handedly, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core far better than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. 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. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with MPs and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.