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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the development of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core far better than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the public. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to address these matters last July or since suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of past failures as well as the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.