Who could succeed Vaughan Gething as first minister of Wales and ...

17 Jul 2024

Sky News

Who could succeed Vaughan Gething as first minister of Wales and

Mr Gething announced he would resign as first minister on Tuesday after four ministers stepped down from the Welsh government, calling for him to quit.

Vaughan Gething has said he will step down as first minister of Wales after four ministers quit his government calling for him to go.

His resignation comes after he faced questions surrounding a controversial £200k donation and the sacking of a government minister.

But with the process to elect a successor set to get under way in the coming days, who could become the next leader of Welsh Labour and first minister of Wales?

Huw Irranca-Davies

Huw Irranca-Davies was appointed climate change secretary earlier this year.

His main task in that time has been to look again at government plans that would mean farmers have to meet a series of environmental obligations in return for public money.

The proposals were put on hold after several protests in the last days of the Drakeford government and his approach has been welcomed by unions.

The 61-year-old was previously minister for social care between 2016 and 2017, and before his time in the Senedd he sat in the House of Commons.

He was the MP for Ogmore in Westminster between 2002 and 2016, serving as a junior minister in Gordon Brown's government.

Analysis: How historic victory turned into short and turbulent stint

Jeremy Miles

Jeremy Miles missed out to Mr Gething in the leadership contest earlier this year.

Might he want to stand for the leadership again?

The 52-year-old was the economy secretary since March this year, and has previously served as education minister and counsel general - the government's top legal job.

But Mr Miles was one of four government ministers who quit on Tuesday.

Some of Mr Gething's supporters would consider the flurry of resignations as what ultimately brought about his downfall.

Eluned Morgan

Eluned Morgan is Wales's health secretary - a brief she has held since 2021.

The 57-year-old previously stood for the leadership in 2018, but finished third behind Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething.

A member of the House of Lords, Baroness Morgan decided not enter the race to succeed Mr Drakeford.

In a statement at the time, she said she had been "humbled" by support but that she had made the decision not to stand "after careful deliberation".

Before joining the cabinet, she held various junior government roles as minister for the Welsh language, international relations and mental health, and was previously a member of the European Parliament.