Vaughan Gething to quit as Welsh first minister | UK News

0
21


Vaughan Gething has announced he is quitting as Wales’s first minister.

In a statement, he said: “I have this morning taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour Party and, as a result, First Minister.

“Having been elected as leader of my party in March, I had hoped that over the summer a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal could take place under my leadership.

“I recognise now that this is not possible.

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

Vaughan Gething. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Vaughan Gething. Pic: Reuters

Mr Gething had been under increasing pressure with questions about a controversial £200k donation to his leadership campaign.

Four ministers quit the Welsh government, telling the Labour first minister they cannot get on with their jobs “without you standing down”.

Mr Gething was elected to succeed Mark Drakeford as leader of Welsh Labour in March.

Last month, he lost a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Senedd (Welsh parliament) 29-27.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Wales first minister in tears

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.

Critics said Mr Gething’s leadership campaign should not have accepted the donation from the company of a man previously convicted of environmental offences.

The Labour leader said the donation was within the rules and was declared in line with party protocols.

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

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

Mick Antoniw, Julie James, Lesley Griffiths and Jeremy Miles all quit their cabinet positions in a protest over Mr Gething’s leadership.

Mr Gething, who was the Welsh health minister during the pandemic, also faced accusations he had misled the COVID Inquiry.

In a leaked text message from August 2020, he said: “I’m deleting the messages in this group” as they could be “captured in an FOI”.

Government minister Hannah Blythyn was sacked for allegedly leaking to the media – allegations she denies.

Plaid Cymru then withdrew from the Labour government’s cooperation agreement with the party.

News website Nation.Cymru, who broke the story, has since denied that Ms Blythyn was its source.

The Welsh Conservatives put forward a motion calling for the publication of the evidence upon which Ms Blythyn was sacked.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.



Source link