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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the building of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that No 10 had not undermined 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 more generally. Firstly, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the issues in Number 10 relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, 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 assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• 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.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, 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 are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the positions 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 sole responsibility. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.