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

Senior Labour official Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has urged the party to move beyond party disputes after PM Sir Keir Starmer personally said sorry to Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP over hostile leaked comments coming from Downing Street.

Key Events

• Ed Miliband confirms Starmer will fire the No 10 staffer behind for targeting Wes Streeting if discovered
• The Energy Secretary rules out any leadership plans, declaring his past experience as leader was the "most effective protection" against seeking the position again
• UK economic growth grew by just 0.1% in the July-September period, impacted by the JLR hack

Situation

The internal turmoil erupted after media stories emerged about hostile background comments from Starmer's supporters targeting the Health Secretary. Despite initial attempts to dismiss the incident, the talk between Starmer and Streeting reportedly followed a more serious turn.

Starmer said sorry to Wes Streeting, reporters have been advised. The conversation was brief, and they did not discuss the chief of staff, whom the PM is now under growing pressure to remove.

Miliband's Reaction

In his morning media interviews, Ed Miliband highlighted the need for the Labour Party to focus on country-wide priorities rather than party disputes.

Clearly, I think the backgrounding has been damaging, certainly.

But my message to the Labour party now is straightforward, which is we need to focus on the public, not each other.

We were given a major mandate last July, a important chance to transform our nation. And we have a serious responsibility.

Economic News

Separately, official data showed the British economy grew by just 0.1% in the July-September period, with the production industry particularly affected by the recent Jaguar Land Rover hack.

The Day's Schedule

• Morning: NHS England releases its monthly statistics
• Morning: The Health Secretary is visiting Liverpool
• Morning: The Chancellor makes comments to the media
• 11.30am: Number 10 holds its regular lobby briefing
• Morning: The Prime Minister highlights plans for the Britain's pioneering small modular reactor project at Wylfa site on the island of Anglesey