Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Urges Labour to Move On After Starmer Says Sorry to Wes Streeting for Aggressive Media Leaks
Senior Labour Party figure Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has called for the party to leave behind party conflicts after Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally expressed regret to health minister Wes Streeting over hostile media stories originating from Downing Street.
Major Developments
- Miliband states the Prime Minister will sack the No 10 official responsible for targeting Wes Streeting if discovered
- The Energy Secretary rejects any leadership plans, stating his previous time as leader was the "best inoculation" against desiring the position again
- UK economy grew by just 0.1 percent in the July-September period, impacted by the Jaguar Land Rover security breach
Background
The internal controversy erupted after media stories circulated about negative background comments from the Prime Minister's allies targeting the Health Secretary. Although initial efforts to minimize the incident, the conversation between the PM and Streeting apparently took a different direction.
The Prime Minister apologised to Wes Streeting, journalists have been advised. The discussion was short, and they did not address Morgan McSweeney, whom Starmer is now under increasing scrutiny to remove.
The Energy Secretary's Reaction
In his morning broadcast appearances, Miliband highlighted the need for the Labour Party to concentrate on national issues rather than internal conflicts.
Look, I think the briefing has been bad, certainly.
But my message to the Labour members today is straightforward, which is we need to concentrate on the country, not our internal matters.
We were given a major election win last July, a historic chance to improve our country. And we have a historic duty.
Economic Update
Separately, official figures indicated the UK economy grew by just 0.1% in the third quarter, with the manufacturing industry especially hit by the recently reported JLR cyber-attack.
Today's Schedule
- 9.30am: The National Health Service publishes its monthly performance figures
- Today: Wes Streeting is visiting the Liverpool area
- Morning: The Chancellor makes comments to the journalists
- Late morning: Downing Street holds its regular media briefing
- Morning: Keir Starmer promotes plans for the UK's first small modular reactor facility at Wylfa site on Anglesey
