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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the political culture on his own, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively 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 getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like restructuring the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the positions of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.