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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the development of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he desires his government to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core far better than he does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the issues in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures along with the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.