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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this due to the manner he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street 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 fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

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

This is not 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 would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.