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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this due to the way he – and, partly, the country more generally – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core far better than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not 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 top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to parliamentarians 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 political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and No 10, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

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

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the author 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 personally.