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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce 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 solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become overall. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to transform the political culture 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. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the issues in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised 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 biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of past failures as well as the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.