Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Urges the Labour Party to Move On After Keir Starmer Offers Apology to Streeting for Aggressive Media Leaks
Senior Labour Party figure Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has demanded the party to move beyond party conflicts after leader Keir Starmer personally apologised to health minister Wes Streeting over negative media stories originating from Downing Street.
Major Developments
- Miliband confirms the Prime Minister will dismiss the Downing Street staffer behind for attacking Streeting if identified
- Miliband rules out any party leader plans, saying his past experience as Labour leader was the "most effective protection" against desiring the role again
- British economy grew by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, impacted by the Jaguar Land Rover cyber-attack
Context
The internal unrest started after media stories emerged about negative briefings from the Prime Minister's allies targeting Streeting. Despite initial attempts to downplay the incident, the conversation between Starmer and the health minister reportedly took a different direction.
The Prime Minister expressed regret to Streeting, the media have been informed. The conversation was short, and they did not discuss the chief of staff, whom the PM is now under pressure to dismiss.
The Energy Secretary's Reaction
In his early morning media interviews, Ed Miliband highlighted the need for the party to focus on country-wide matters rather than party disputes.
Look, I think the briefing has been unhelpful, no question.
But my message to the Labour members now is straightforward, which is we need to prioritize the public, not each other.
We were given a historic mandate last summer, a major opportunity to improve our country. And we have a serious duty.
Economic Update
Separately, government statistics revealed the British economy expanded by just 0.1% in the July-September period, with the industrial industry particularly hit by the recently reported Jaguar Land Rover security incident.
The Day's Agenda
- Morning: The National Health Service issues its monthly data
- Today: The Health Secretary is visiting the Liverpool area
- Morning: Rachel Reeves makes comments to the media
- Late morning: Number 10 holds its daily lobby briefing
- Morning: The Prime Minister highlights government plans for the UK's pioneering small modular reactor project at Wylfa site on Anglesey
