Ed Miliband Calls on Labour to Look Ahead After Keir Starmer Apologises to Streeting for Hostile Briefings
Senior Labour official Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has called for the party to leave behind party disputes after PM Keir Starmer personally said sorry to Health Secretary Wes Streeting over hostile briefings coming from the Prime Minister's office.
Major Events
- Miliband declares the Prime Minister will fire the Downing Street official behind for targeting Wes Streeting if identified
- The Energy Secretary rules out any party leader aspirations, saying his previous time as Labour leader was the "best inoculation" against desiring the role again
- UK economy grew by just 0.1% in the July-September period, affected by the Jaguar Land Rover security breach
Context
The political unrest erupted after media stories emerged about hostile background comments from the Prime Minister's allies targeting the Health Secretary. Although initial efforts to downplay the incident, the conversation between the PM and the health minister according to sources took a different direction.
Starmer expressed regret to Streeting, journalists have been advised. The conversation was short, and they did not address the chief of staff, whom Starmer is now under pressure to sack.
The Energy Secretary's Reaction
In his morning media interviews, Ed Miliband emphasized the need for the Labour Party to direct attention on country-wide issues rather than internal conflicts.
Look, I think the media briefing has been bad, certainly.
But my call to the party now is straightforward, which is we need to prioritize the public, not our internal matters.
We were given a significant election win last July, a historic opportunity to improve our nation. And we have a serious duty.
Economic News
Meanwhile, government figures showed the British economic performance grew by just 0.1% in the July-September period, with the production industry particularly affected by the recent Jaguar Land Rover hack.
Today's Agenda
- Morning: The National Health Service publishes its monthly performance figures
- Today: The Health Secretary visits the Liverpool area
- Morning: The Chancellor speaks to the media
- Late morning: Downing Street conducts its regular lobby briefing
- Morning: The Prime Minister highlights plans for the UK's first nuclear power plant at Wylfa site on Anglesey
