Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Encourages Labour to Look Ahead Following Keir Starmer Says Sorry to Wes Streeting for Aggressive Backgrounding
Senior Labour Party official Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has called for the party to move beyond internal tensions after Prime Minister Keir Starmer directly apologised to health minister Wes Streeting over hostile media stories linked to the Prime Minister's office.
Important Events
- Ed Miliband declares Starmer will dismiss the No 10 staffer behind for briefing against Streeting if identified
- The Energy Secretary rejects future party leader ambitions, declaring his previous experience as leader was the "best inoculation" against seeking the role again
- UK economy expanded by just 0.1 percent in the July-September period, impacted by the JLR cyber-attack
Background
The internal controversy started after reports emerged about hostile briefings from the Prime Minister's supporters targeting the Health Secretary. Although early attempts to dismiss the incident, the discussion between Starmer and Streeting apparently followed a more serious turn.
The Prime Minister said sorry to Streeting, the media have been told. The conversation was concise, and they did not discuss Morgan McSweeney, whom the PM is now under growing pressure to dismiss.
The Energy Secretary's Response
In his morning broadcast interviews, Miliband emphasized the need for the Labour Party to focus on national priorities rather than internal divisions.
Look, I think the briefing has been bad, without doubt.
But my advice to the Labour party now is clear, which is we need to prioritize the nation, not our internal matters.
We were given a historic election win last summer, a historic chance to change our nation. And we have a serious obligation.
Growth Update
Separately, government statistics revealed the British economy expanded by just 0.1% in the July-September period, with the manufacturing sector particularly hit by the recent JLR security incident.
The Day's Schedule
- Morning: The National Health Service releases its latest data
- Morning: Wes Streeting is visiting the Liverpool area
- Morning: Rachel Reeves speaks to the journalists
- Late morning: Number 10 conducts its daily media briefing
- Morning: Keir Starmer promotes plans for the Britain's first small modular reactor facility at Wylfa on Anglesey
