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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the building of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he wants his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

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 plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better 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 getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time conversing with MPs and listening to the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. 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 failure to grip these issues last July or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of past failures as well as the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.