Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Urges the Labour Party to Move On Following Starmer Offers Apology to Wes Streeting for Hostile Backgrounding
Senior Labour Party official Ed Miliband has called for the party to put aside internal conflicts after leader Keir Starmer directly expressed regret to health minister Wes Streeting MP over damaging media stories coming from Number 10.
Important Developments
- Miliband declares Starmer will dismiss the Downing Street official responsible for attacking Wes Streeting if identified
- Miliband rules out future party leader aspirations, stating his previous experience as leader was the "best inoculation" against desiring the position again
- UK economy grew by just 0.1% in the July-September period, hit by the Jaguar Land Rover cyber-attack
Background
The political turmoil started after reports surfaced about negative background comments from Starmer's allies targeting Streeting. Although initial efforts to minimize the matter, the talk between the PM and the health minister reportedly took a more serious direction.
Starmer said sorry to Wes Streeting, journalists have been informed. The discussion was short, and they did not talk about the chief of staff, whom the PM is now under increasing scrutiny to remove.
Miliband's Reaction
In his morning media interviews, Ed Miliband stressed the need for the party to concentrate on country-wide issues rather than party disputes.
Clearly, I think the backgrounding has been bad, without doubt.
But my advice to the party now is quite simple, which is we need to concentrate on the nation, not our internal matters.
We were given a major election win last summer, a major opportunity to transform our nation. And we have a serious obligation.
Economic Update
Meanwhile, official data showed the UK economy grew by just 0.1% in the third quarter, with the industrial sector especially affected by the recent Jaguar Land Rover hack.
The Day's Schedule
- Morning: The National Health Service publishes its monthly statistics
- Morning: Wes Streeting is visiting Liverpool
- Today: Rachel Reeves makes comments to the media
- Late morning: Number 10 holds its daily media briefing
- Morning: The Prime Minister announces government plans for the Britain's first nuclear power plant at Wylfa site on the island of Anglesey