Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Calls on the Labour Party to Focus Forward After Keir Starmer Says Sorry to Streeting for Negative Media Leaks
Senior Labour figure Ed Miliband has demanded the party to move beyond internal disputes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer personally expressed regret to health minister Wes Streeting over hostile leaked comments originating from the Prime Minister's office.
Key Updates
- Ed Miliband states the Prime Minister will fire the Downing Street official responsible for targeting Streeting if found
- Miliband rejects future party leader aspirations, saying his previous time as Labour leader was the "strongest vaccine" against seeking the role again
- UK economy expanded by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, impacted by the JLR hack
Background
The political turmoil erupted after reports surfaced about hostile background comments from Starmer's allies targeting the Health Secretary. Although early attempts to minimize the incident, the talk between Starmer and Streeting according to sources took a different direction.
The Prime Minister apologised to Wes Streeting, the media have been advised. The discussion was short, and they did not discuss Morgan McSweeney, whom Starmer is now under growing pressure to dismiss.
The Energy Secretary's Response
In his morning media appearances, Miliband stressed the need for the Labour Party to direct attention on country-wide matters rather than internal conflicts.
Clearly, I think the briefing has been damaging, certainly.
But my advice to the party today is clear, which is we need to concentrate on the country, not each other.
We were given a historic victory last summer, a important opportunity to change our country. And we have a historic responsibility.
Growth Update
Separately, official figures indicated the UK economy expanded by just 0.1% in the July-September period, with the production sector especially affected by the recently reported JLR cyber-attack.
The Day's Schedule
- 9.30am: The National Health Service issues its latest performance figures
- Morning: Wes Streeting visits the Liverpool area
- Morning: The Chancellor speaks to the media
- Late morning: Downing Street conducts its daily lobby briefing
- Today: Keir Starmer promotes plans for the UK's first nuclear power project at Wylfa on Anglesey
