Ed Miliband Encourages the Labour Party to Move On Following Starmer Says Sorry to Wes Streeting for Aggressive Backgrounding

Senior Labour Party figure Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has called for the party to leave behind party tensions after leader Sir Keir Starmer personally expressed regret to Health Secretary Wes Streeting over negative briefings linked to Number 10.

Major Updates

• Miliband states Starmer will fire the Downing Street staffer responsible for briefing against Streeting if discovered
• Miliband rules out any leadership plans, declaring his previous experience as leader was the "best protection" against desiring the role again
• British economic growth increased by just 0.1% in the third quarter, affected by the Jaguar Land Rover security breach

Situation

The internal unrest started after allegations circulated about negative briefings from Starmer's team targeting Streeting. Although early attempts to dismiss the matter, the talk between Starmer and the health minister apparently took a different direction.

The Prime Minister apologised to Streeting, reporters have been told. The discussion was brief, and they did not address the chief of staff, whom the PM is now under growing pressure to sack.

Miliband's Reaction

In his morning broadcast interviews, Miliband stressed the need for the party to concentrate on national issues rather than party disputes.

Clearly, I think the briefing has been unhelpful, certainly.

But my message to the Labour members now is straightforward, which is we need to prioritize the public, not our internal matters.

We were given a historic election win last July, a important opportunity to transform our country. And we have a serious responsibility.

Growth News

Meanwhile, official figures indicated the UK economy grew by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, with the production sector particularly hit by the recently reported JLR security incident.

Today's Schedule

• 9.30am: The National Health Service issues its monthly data
• Today: Wes Streeting is visiting the Liverpool area
• Morning: The Chancellor speaks to the journalists
• 11.30am: Number 10 holds its regular media briefing
• Today: Keir Starmer promotes government plans for the Britain's pioneering nuclear power facility at Wylfa site on the island of Anglesey