Vaughan Gething to quit as Welsh first minister

Vaughan Gething said he had hoped "over the summer a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal could take place under my leadership".

Faye Brown

Political reporter @fayebrownSky

Tuesday 16 July 2024 16:05, UK

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Vaughan Gething has announced he is quitting as Welsh first minister after four members of his government resigned in protest over his leadership.

In a statement on Tuesday morning, Mr Gething said he had "taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down", and will now discuss a timetable for the election of his successor.

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Mr Gething lost a vote of no confidence last month following a row over his decision to sack one of his ministers and questions about donations he took while running to be Welsh Labour leader - resulting in Labour's co-operation deal in the Senedd with Plaid Cymru collapsing.

Having only been elected in March, Mr Gething said in his statement that he had hoped "over the summer a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal could take place under my leadership".

"I recognise now that this is not possible", he added.

"It has been the honour of my life to do this job even for a few short months."

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Mr Gething denied any wrongdoing, saying: "My integrity matters. I have not compromised it.

"I regret that the burden of proof is no longer an important commodity in the language of our politics."

He said criticism of his leadership had resulted in a "difficult time" for him and his family.

"A growing assertion that some kind of wrongdoing has taken place has been pernicious, politically motivated and patently untrue," he said.

"In 11 years as a minister, I have never ever made a decision for personal gain. I have never ever misused or abused my ministerial responsibilities."

Prime minister and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Gething had made the "difficult decision" because "he feels it is the best decision now for Wales".

Mr Gething was later applauded by colleagues after he made a statement to the Senedd confirming his intention to quit, insisting he is "proud" of his record and looks forward to seeing who is chosen to succeed him.

Call for snap election

But there was some acrimony from the opposition benches, with Welsh Conservatives' leader Andrew RT Davies accusing Mr Gething of declining to shake his hand when he expressed his condolences.

Mr Davies called his opponent's resignation "long overdue" and said Labour figures "all the way up to Keir Starmer" were "culpable for the breakdown of governance in Wales".

Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru's leader Rhun ap Iorwerth demanded a snap election rather than allow Labour to choose another first minister to go through the "revolving door of chaos".

He said: "Labour has put party interests ahead of the interests of the nation for too long.

"The people of Wales must be given the opportunity to elect a new government and an election must be called."

Wales has a devolved government, and the next election to the Senedd is not due until 2026.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said Mr Gething had served the people "admirably" and they will "work at pace" to begin the procedure of the leadership election, with the first minister to stay on in the top job until then.

Referring to the general election which saw the Conservative Party completely wiped out in Wales, they added: "The people of Wales voted overwhelmingly only two weeks ago for a UK Labour government working hand in hand with our Welsh Labour government to deliver for them. We are focused on this delivery."

Gething's leadership dogged by scandal

The collapse of Mr Gething's leadership comes after Labour cabinet ministers Mick Antoniw, Julie James, Lesley Griffiths and Jeremy Miles all quit their government positions, telling the first minister they cannot get on with their jobs "without you standing down".

Mr Gething made history in March when he became the first black leader of any European country, succeeding Mark Drakeford as the first minster of Wales.

However, questions over a £200,000 donation to his Labour leadership campaign dogged him from the moment he took office, while a row over a leaked phone message which led to him sacking one of his ministers and Plaid Cymru's withdrawal of support for his government added to the sense of chaos.

Gething's resignation means next Welsh election could be game changer

Tomos Evans

Wales reporter

@TomosGruffydd

His fellow Labour members had confidence in him.

That’s what Vaughan Gething told reporters as recently as last week.

He only took the reins from Mark Drakeford in March.

But questions around a controversial £200k donation and a ministerial sacking have dominated the last four months.

Now he has quit - becoming Wales’s shortest-serving first minister.

With four ministers quitting the front bench on Tuesday, staying on proved impossible.

Labour won exactly half of the Senedd’s 60 members in 2021.

The government had to work with Plaid Cymru to pass key legislation, until the Welsh nationalists withdrew from the agreement in May.

The Welsh government has always been led by Labour since its creation in 1999.

But after a difficult period for the government, and a new, more proportional electoral system, the next election in 2026 could be a game changer.

The donation was from the Dauson Environmental Group, which is owned by David Neal, who has previously been convicted of environmental offences.

Critics said Mr Gething's leadership campaign should not have accepted the money, but the first minister said the donation was within the rules and was declared in line with party protocol.

He refused calls for an inquiry into the donation, but instead commissioned a wider review into political donations.

Mr Gething also faced criticism for the sacking of social partnership minister Hannah Blythyn over the alleged leak of messages relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The news website Nation.Cymru has denied that she was the source of the leaked texts.

This all led to the collapse of a co-operation agreement between his party and Plaid Cymru, which was necessary to pass legislation, and he subsequently lost a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Senedd 29-27.

Mr Gething said the motion was a "gimmick" and that opposition parties had declined to take part in a pairing arrangement to balance out the votes of two Labour members who were unwell.

Today he published evidence he said underpinned his decision to sack Ms Blythyn, including that a screengrab of the leak did not show her initials - suggesting it must have come from her phone.

But this came after the resignations of the four ministers, which made his position all but untenable.

Four ministers quit

Mr Miles, who quit as economy secretary, told Mr Gething: "The events of the last few months including your loss of the confidence vote in the Senedd, have been incredibly painful.

"It's essential that we begin to repair the damage immediately, and I have reached the conclusion very regrettably that this cannot happen under your leadership."

Ms James, who quit as housing secretary, told the first minister she feared that Welsh devolution would be at risk if he continued in the role.

Ms Griffiths, who resigned as culture secretary, said: "I have reached the conclusion that we simply will not be able to put things back on track under your leadership, leaving me with only one realistic option at this point."

And Mr Antoniw said Mr Gething no longer commanded a majority in the Senedd was "rudderless" without a new leader.

Vaughan Gething to quit as Welsh first minister

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