Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Urges Labour to Move On Following Starmer Apologises to Streeting for Aggressive Backgrounding
Senior Labour figure Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has demanded the party to move beyond internal tensions after PM Keir Starmer directly expressed regret to health minister Wes Streeting MP over hostile media stories coming from the Prime Minister's office.
Key Events
- Ed Miliband declares Starmer will fire the Downing Street source behind for briefing against Wes Streeting if found
- The Energy Secretary rules out future party leader aspirations, declaring his previous time as leader was the "strongest protection" against wanting the role again
- British economic growth increased by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, hit by the Jaguar Land Rover hack
Context
The political unrest began after allegations circulated about negative background comments from Starmer's supporters targeting Streeting. Although early efforts to downplay the incident, the conversation between Starmer and Streeting apparently took a different direction.
Starmer apologised to Streeting, journalists have been advised. The conversation was concise, and they did not talk about Morgan McSweeney, whom Starmer is now under growing pressure to sack.
The Energy Secretary's Reaction
In his early morning media appearances, Ed Miliband stressed the need for the party to direct attention on national priorities rather than internal disputes.
Clearly, I think the media briefing has been damaging, without doubt.
But my advice to the Labour party today is quite simple, which is we need to prioritize the nation, not ourselves.
We were given a historic mandate last summer, a important chance to improve our country. And we have a serious duty.
Growth News
In other news, official figures revealed the British economy grew by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, with the industrial industry particularly hit by the recent Jaguar Land Rover security incident.
The Day's Schedule
- 9.30am: The National Health Service issues its latest data
- Today: The Health Secretary is visiting the Liverpool area
- Morning: The Chancellor speaks to the press
- Late morning: Downing Street conducts its regular lobby briefing
- Morning: Keir Starmer promotes government plans for the Britain's pioneering small modular reactor plant at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey
