Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Encourages the Labour Party to Look Ahead Following Keir Starmer Offers Apology to Wes Streeting for Negative Briefings
High-ranking Labour Party figure Ed Miliband has demanded the party to move beyond party conflicts after Prime Minister Keir Starmer directly apologised to health minister Wes Streeting MP over negative leaked comments linked to Downing Street.
Key Updates
- Miliband confirms Starmer will sack the No 10 official behind for briefing against Wes Streeting if found
- The Energy Secretary rules out any leadership ambitions, saying his previous time as Labour leader was the "best protection" against desiring the role again
- British economic growth increased by just 0.1 percent in the July-September period, hit by the JLR hack
Context
The political controversy erupted after media stories circulated about hostile briefings from Starmer's allies targeting the Health Secretary. Although early efforts to minimize the incident, the talk between the PM and Streeting reportedly took a more serious direction.
Starmer said sorry to Wes Streeting, reporters have been told. The discussion was concise, and they did not discuss the chief of staff, whom the PM is now under pressure to remove.
The Energy Secretary's Reaction
In his morning media appearances, Ed Miliband emphasized the need for the party to concentrate on national priorities rather than party disputes.
Clearly, I think the backgrounding has been bad, certainly.
But my message to the Labour members today is clear, 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 country. And we have a serious responsibility.
Growth Update
Separately, official data showed the British economy increased by just 0.1% in the third quarter, with the production industry especially affected by the recent JLR cyber-attack.
Today's Schedule
- 9.30am: NHS England publishes its monthly data
- Morning: Wes Streeting visits the Liverpool area
- Morning: The Chancellor makes comments to the media
- 11.30am: Downing Street conducts its daily lobby briefing
- Today: Keir Starmer highlights government plans for the UK's pioneering nuclear power project at Wylfa site on Anglesey
