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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the political culture on his own, but he can do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the problems in Number 10 relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and hearing the public. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like restructuring the roles of the central government office and No 10, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is 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 core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.