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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the development of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become overall. On the one hand, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, 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 entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and hearing the public. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters in the summer or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of past failures along with the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.