Ed Miliband Calls on the Labour Party to Move On After Keir Starmer Apologises to Wes Streeting for Negative Briefings

Senior Labour Party official Ed Miliband has urged the party to move beyond internal tensions after leader Keir Starmer personally said sorry to Health Secretary Wes Streeting over hostile media stories coming from Number 10.

Important Developments

• Ed Miliband declares the Prime Minister will dismiss the No 10 staffer responsible for briefing against Streeting if discovered
• Miliband dismisses future party leader ambitions, saying his past experience as Labour leader was the "most effective vaccine" against wanting the role again
• UK economic growth increased by just 0.1% in the July-September period, hit by the Jaguar Land Rover security breach

Context

The political unrest started after media stories circulated about hostile briefings from the Prime Minister's team targeting the Health Secretary. Despite initial attempts to dismiss the incident, the talk between the PM and the health minister according to sources took a more serious turn.

Starmer expressed regret to Streeting, reporters have been advised. The discussion was concise, and they did not discuss the chief of staff, whom the PM is now under pressure to sack.

Miliband's Response

In his morning media appearances, Miliband highlighted the need for the Labour Party to direct attention on country-wide matters rather than party divisions.

Clearly, I think the backgrounding has been bad, no question.

But my call to the Labour members today is clear, which is we need to concentrate on the nation, not our internal matters.

We were given a significant mandate last summer, a historic chance to transform our nation. And we have a historic responsibility.

Growth Update

Separately, official statistics showed the UK economy expanded by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, with the industrial industry particularly impacted by the recent JLR cyber-attack.

The Day's Agenda

• Morning: The National Health Service issues its latest statistics
• Today: Wes Streeting visits the Liverpool area
• Morning: The Chancellor makes comments to the media
• Late morning: Downing Street holds its daily lobby briefing
• Today: Keir Starmer promotes plans for the Britain's first small modular reactor project at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey