Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Calls on the Labour Party to Move On After Keir Starmer Offers Apology to Wes Streeting for Hostile Backgrounding
Senior Labour figure Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has demanded the party to move beyond party tensions after PM Sir Keir Starmer directly said sorry to health minister Wes Streeting MP over hostile briefings originating from the Prime Minister's office.
Important Events
- Miliband states Starmer will fire the Downing Street staffer responsible for targeting Streeting if identified
- Miliband rules out future party leader ambitions, stating his past experience as leader was the "best protection" against desiring the role again
- UK economy increased by just 0.1% in the July-September period, impacted by the JLR cyber-attack
Context
The internal unrest started after allegations surfaced about negative background comments from the Prime Minister's supporters targeting the Health Secretary. Although early efforts to minimize the incident, the talk between Starmer and Streeting apparently took a more serious turn.
The Prime Minister expressed regret to Wes Streeting, journalists have been informed. The exchange was brief, and they did not discuss the chief of staff, whom the PM is now under increasing scrutiny to dismiss.
Miliband's Reaction
In his early morning media interviews, Miliband stressed the need for the Labour Party to focus on national priorities rather than party disputes.
Clearly, I think the backgrounding has been unhelpful, without doubt.
But my advice to the party today is quite simple, which is we need to focus on the country, not each other.
We were given a significant election win last summer, a historic chance to change our nation. And we have a major responsibility.
Growth News
Meanwhile, government statistics indicated the British economic performance grew by just 0.1% in the third quarter, with the production sector particularly hit by the recently reported Jaguar Land Rover cyber-attack.
Today's Agenda
- 9.30am: NHS England publishes its latest data
- Today: Wes Streeting is visiting Liverpool
- Today: Rachel Reeves makes comments to the press
- 11.30am: Downing Street conducts its daily lobby briefing
- Today: Keir Starmer highlights plans for the UK's pioneering nuclear power plant at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey
