Ed Miliband Encourages the Labour Party to Move On Following Keir Starmer Apologises to Streeting for Hostile Backgrounding
High-ranking Labour Party figure Ed Miliband has called for the party to leave behind party disputes after PM Sir Keir Starmer personally apologised to health minister Wes Streeting over damaging briefings coming from Downing Street.
Key Developments
- Ed Miliband states Starmer will fire the No 10 staffer behind for targeting Wes Streeting if found
- The Energy Secretary dismisses any party leader ambitions, saying his previous experience as Labour leader was the "strongest inoculation" against desiring the role again
- UK economic growth grew by just 0.1 percent in the July-September period, hit by the JLR hack
Situation
The political unrest erupted after allegations emerged about negative background comments from the Prime Minister's team targeting Streeting. Despite initial efforts to dismiss the situation, the conversation between Starmer and the health minister according to sources followed a different direction.
Starmer apologised to Wes Streeting, journalists have been advised. The conversation was brief, and they did not address Morgan McSweeney, whom the PM is now under growing pressure to dismiss.
Miliband's Statement
In his early morning broadcast interviews, Miliband stressed the need for the party to focus on national matters rather than party conflicts.
Look, I think the media briefing has been unhelpful, without doubt.
But my message to the party now is clear, which is we need to prioritize the country, not our internal matters.
We were given a historic mandate last summer, a historic opportunity to improve our country. And we have a major obligation.
Economic Update
Meanwhile, government figures showed the UK economic performance increased by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, with the manufacturing sector particularly affected by the recently reported JLR security incident.
The Day's Schedule
- 9.30am: The National Health Service releases its latest statistics
- Today: The Health Secretary is visiting the Liverpool area
- Today: Rachel Reeves makes comments to the journalists
- Late morning: Downing Street holds its regular media briefing
- Today: Keir Starmer promotes government plans for the UK's pioneering small modular reactor project at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey
