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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions 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 performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change the political culture on his own, but he can do something about his own role 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 could discover that the nation was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• 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 abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. 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 Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.