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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to announce the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his government to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 report on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to address these matters last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.