Energy Secretary Ed Miliband Encourages Labour to Move On After Keir Starmer Apologises to Wes Streeting for Negative Backgrounding

High-ranking Labour Party figure Ed Miliband has urged the party to put aside party conflicts after PM Sir Keir Starmer personally said sorry to Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP over hostile media stories coming from the Prime Minister's office.

Major Developments

• Miliband states the Prime Minister will sack the Downing Street staffer behind for briefing against Wes Streeting if discovered
• Miliband rejects any party leader ambitions, saying his past time as leader was the "strongest inoculation" against seeking the role again
• UK economy grew by just 0.1% in the July-September period, impacted by the JLR cyber-attack

Context

The political controversy erupted after media stories emerged about critical background comments from the Prime Minister's team targeting Streeting. Although initial efforts to downplay the matter, the discussion between Starmer and Streeting apparently followed a different direction.

The Prime Minister apologised to Streeting, reporters have been told. The exchange was brief, and they did not address Morgan McSweeney, whom Starmer is now under growing pressure to sack.

Miliband's Statement

In his early morning broadcast appearances, Ed Miliband stressed the need for the Labour Party to direct attention on national issues rather than party conflicts.

Look, I think the media briefing has been bad, certainly.

But my message to the Labour members today is quite simple, which is we need to concentrate on the public, not each other.

We were given a historic victory last summer, a important chance to transform our country. And we have a serious duty.

Economic Update

Separately, government data indicated the UK economy increased by just 0.1 percent in the July-September period, with the industrial industry particularly hit by the recently reported JLR cyber-attack.

The Day's Agenda

• 9.30am: NHS England publishes its latest statistics
• Morning: The Health Secretary is visiting the Liverpool area
• Today: The Chancellor makes comments to the media
• Late morning: Number 10 holds its daily media briefing
• Morning: The Prime Minister promotes plans for the UK's first small modular reactor facility at Wylfa on Anglesey