Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Calls on Labour to Focus Forward After Keir Starmer Apologises to Streeting for Aggressive Backgrounding
Senior Labour Party figure Ed Miliband has demanded the party to put aside internal conflicts after leader Keir Starmer personally apologised to Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP over damaging media stories linked to Downing Street.
Major Updates
- Miliband declares Starmer will dismiss the Downing Street official responsible for targeting Streeting if found
- Miliband rules out any party leader plans, saying his previous time as Labour leader was the "strongest vaccine" against wanting the position again
- UK economy increased by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, impacted by the JLR hack
Context
The internal turmoil started after allegations circulated about negative background comments from Starmer's allies targeting the Health Secretary. Although initial efforts to downplay the incident, the conversation between Starmer and the health minister according to sources followed a different turn.
Starmer expressed regret to Streeting, journalists have been informed. The discussion was brief, and they did not address Morgan McSweeney, whom the PM is now under growing pressure to remove.
The Energy Secretary's Response
In his morning broadcast interviews, Ed Miliband emphasized the need for the Labour Party to focus on national matters rather than internal disputes.
Look, I think the briefing has been damaging, no question.
But my message to the Labour members now is straightforward, which is we need to prioritize the public, not our internal matters.
We were given a historic election win last summer, a major opportunity to change our nation. And we have a major responsibility.
Economic Update
In other news, government data indicated the British economic performance grew by just 0.1% in the July-September period, with the manufacturing industry especially affected by the recent JLR cyber-attack.
The Day's Schedule
- Morning: The National Health Service releases its latest data
- Today: Wes Streeting visits Liverpool
- Today: Rachel Reeves speaks to the journalists
- 11.30am: Number 10 holds its regular lobby briefing
- Today: The Prime Minister promotes plans for the Britain's first small modular reactor facility at Wylfa site on Anglesey
