Ed Miliband Calls on Labour to Move On After Keir Starmer Says Sorry to Wes Streeting for Negative Briefings
Senior Labour figure Ed Miliband has urged the party to leave behind party disputes after PM Sir Keir Starmer personally expressed regret to Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP over negative media stories originating from the Prime Minister's office.
Key Updates
- Ed Miliband confirms Starmer will dismiss the No 10 official responsible for attacking Streeting if discovered
- The Energy Secretary rejects future party leader aspirations, saying his previous time as Labour leader was the "best protection" against desiring the position again
- British economy grew by just 0.1% in the July-September period, affected by the Jaguar Land Rover cyber-attack
Context
The political controversy erupted after allegations circulated about negative briefings from the Prime Minister's supporters targeting the Health Secretary. Despite initial efforts to dismiss the situation, the discussion between Starmer and Streeting reportedly took a different turn.
Starmer expressed regret to Wes Streeting, the media have been told. The discussion was brief, and they did not discuss Morgan McSweeney, whom the PM is now under pressure to sack.
The Energy Secretary's Reaction
In his early morning broadcast interviews, Ed Miliband stressed the need for the party to direct attention on country-wide matters rather than internal disputes.
Clearly, I think the backgrounding has been damaging, without doubt.
But my call to the Labour party today is quite simple, which is we need to focus on the public, not ourselves.
We were given a historic election win last summer, a historic opportunity to improve our country. And we have a serious responsibility.
Economic News
In other news, government statistics revealed the British economic performance increased by just 0.1% in the July-September period, with the manufacturing sector particularly hit by the recent JLR security incident.
Today's Schedule
- 9.30am: The National Health Service publishes its latest statistics
- Morning: Wes Streeting is visiting the Liverpool area
- Today: Rachel Reeves speaks to the media
- Late morning: Number 10 conducts its regular lobby briefing
- Morning: Keir Starmer announces government plans for the Britain's pioneering small modular reactor facility at Wylfa on Anglesey
