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Sir Keir Starmer visited 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. However, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, partly, the country more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture on his own, but he can take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with MPs and hearing the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of past failures as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.