Ed Miliband Urges Labour to Focus Forward After Keir Starmer Apologises to Wes Streeting for Aggressive Backgrounding
Senior Labour Party official Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has called for the party to leave behind party tensions after PM Sir Keir Starmer personally apologised to Health Secretary Wes Streeting over damaging leaked comments coming from the Prime Minister's office.
Key Developments
- Ed Miliband confirms the Prime Minister will sack the Downing Street official responsible for briefing against Streeting if identified
- Miliband dismisses any leadership aspirations, saying his previous time as leader was the "most effective inoculation" against seeking the position again
- UK economy expanded by just 0.1% in the third quarter, impacted by the Jaguar Land Rover cyber-attack
Context
The political turmoil erupted after media stories surfaced about hostile briefings from the Prime Minister's allies targeting the Health Secretary. Despite early efforts to minimize the matter, the conversation between the PM and the health minister apparently took a different turn.
Starmer apologised to Streeting, the media have been advised. The exchange was concise, and they did not discuss the chief of staff, whom Starmer is now under growing pressure to remove.
The Energy Secretary's Statement
In his morning broadcast appearances, Ed Miliband highlighted the need for the Labour Party to focus on country-wide issues rather than party conflicts.
Look, I think the media briefing has been damaging, no question.
But my advice to the party today is straightforward, which is we need to focus on the country, not each other.
We were given a major victory last summer, a historic chance to improve our country. And we have a serious duty.
Economic News
Meanwhile, government data indicated the UK economy grew by just 0.1% in the third quarter, with the production industry particularly affected by the recent Jaguar Land Rover hack.
The Day's Schedule
- Morning: NHS England releases its latest performance figures
- Today: Wes Streeting is visiting Liverpool
- Today: Rachel Reeves speaks to the media
- Late morning: Downing Street holds its daily lobby briefing
- Today: The Prime Minister announces government plans for the UK's pioneering small modular reactor plant at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey
