Vaughan Gething to be the next First Minister of Wales
first black leader of any European country
The current Welsh Government Minister for Economy is set to replace Mark Drakeford
Steve Bagnall
Vaughan Gething is set to become the next First Minister of Wales. He has been elected as the new leader of Welsh Labour, taking over from Mark Drakeford who has been in charge since 2018.
Mr Gething, 49, won against his only competitor, Education Minister Jeremy Miles. Currently serving as the Minister for Economy, Mr Gething will be the fifth leader of the country since the National Assembly for Wales, now known as the Senedd, was formed in 1999, reports PA.
His election as the leader of Welsh Labour was announced on Saturday morning at Cardiff University. However, he won't officially become the First Minister until Wednesday when a vote will take place in the Senedd.
This change in leadership comes at a challenging time for Wales, with farmer protests, record-breaking NHS waiting lists and an economy recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Only members of the Labour party or those part of an affiliated organisation, like a trade union, could vote in this election. This meant around 100,000 people were eligible to participate.
Mr Gething had the support of most large unions and Lord Kinnock, who led the UK Labour party from 1983 to 1992. On the other hand, Mr Miles received backing from the majority of Labour members in the Senedd.
The leadership race has not been without controversy, most of which has centred on Mr Gething. There have been a string of concerns raised around £200,000 of donations to Mr Gething from a company which was found guilty of environmental offences in January.
Atlantic Recycling, which is part of Dauson Environmental Group and controlled by David Neal, gave Mr Gething £100,000 on December 18 2023 and £100,000 on January 11 2024.
The current Welsh Government Minister for Economy is set to replace Mark Drakeford
Steve Bagnall
Breaking News editor
16 MAR 2024
Vaughan Gething will be become the next First Minister for Wales
Vaughan Gething is set to become the next First Minister of Wales. He has been elected as the new leader of Welsh Labour, taking over from Mark Drakeford who has been in charge since 2018.
Mr Gething, 49, won against his only competitor, Education Minister Jeremy Miles. Currently serving as the Minister for Economy, Mr Gething will be the fifth leader of the country since the National Assembly for Wales, now known as the Senedd, was formed in 1999, reports PA.
His election as the leader of Welsh Labour was announced on Saturday morning at Cardiff University. However, he won't officially become the First Minister until Wednesday when a vote will take place in the Senedd.
This change in leadership comes at a challenging time for Wales, with farmer protests, record-breaking NHS waiting lists and an economy recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Only members of the Labour party or those part of an affiliated organisation, like a trade union, could vote in this election. This meant around 100,000 people were eligible to participate.
Mr Gething had the support of most large unions and Lord Kinnock, who led the UK Labour party from 1983 to 1992. On the other hand, Mr Miles received backing from the majority of Labour members in the Senedd.
The leadership race has not been without controversy, most of which has centred on Mr Gething. There have been a string of concerns raised around £200,000 of donations to Mr Gething from a company which was found guilty of environmental offences in January.
Atlantic Recycling, which is part of Dauson Environmental Group and controlled by David Neal, gave Mr Gething £100,000 on December 18 2023 and £100,000 on January 11 2024.
Mark Drakeford is set to step down as First Minister
(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
Atlantic Recycling was also fined £300,000 for one of its worker’s deaths in February after it pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety at work rules.
Earlier this week the BBC revealed that Mr Gething had lobbied regulators in favour of the company, asking Natural Resources Wales to ease restrictions on Atlantic Recycling in 2016.
Mr Gething and his team have always insisted the donation was declared in line with Senedd and Electoral Commission rules and that the minister is committed to transparency.
Early in the campaign concerns were also raised over the Unite union’s backing of Mr Gething, after his opponent was disqualified because he has never held “elected lay office as representatives of workers”. Mr Miles said it was “a new rule that no-one was aware of” and that members were unhappy.
But Unite insisted it had carried out the nomination process correctly and Mr Gething said it was up to the union to determine its own democratic processes.
Unlike previous Labour leadership elections, all the votes are equally weighted. Selection in the past has used an “electoral college” system, giving greater weight to MPs and Members of the Senedd.
Mr Drakeford is not expected to stand down immediately, with his final first minister’s questions on March 19. A vote will also need to take place in the Senedd at which opposition groups can put forward their own candidates.
Atlantic Recycling was also fined £300,000 for one of its worker’s deaths in February after it pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety at work rules.
Earlier this week the BBC revealed that Mr Gething had lobbied regulators in favour of the company, asking Natural Resources Wales to ease restrictions on Atlantic Recycling in 2016.
Mr Gething and his team have always insisted the donation was declared in line with Senedd and Electoral Commission rules and that the minister is committed to transparency.
Early in the campaign concerns were also raised over the Unite union’s backing of Mr Gething, after his opponent was disqualified because he has never held “elected lay office as representatives of workers”. Mr Miles said it was “a new rule that no-one was aware of” and that members were unhappy.
But Unite insisted it had carried out the nomination process correctly and Mr Gething said it was up to the union to determine its own democratic processes.
Unlike previous Labour leadership elections, all the votes are equally weighted. Selection in the past has used an “electoral college” system, giving greater weight to MPs and Members of the Senedd.
Mr Drakeford is not expected to stand down immediately, with his final first minister’s questions on March 19. A vote will also need to take place in the Senedd at which opposition groups can put forward their own candidates.
'Today we turn the page in the book of our nation’s history. A history that we write together'
By George Thompson, PA
Steve Bagnall
Breaking News editor
16 MAR 2024
Vaughan Gething is announced as the fifth First Minister of Wales at the Cardiff University Spark building (Image: Getty Images)
Vaughan Gething has been elected the next Welsh Labour leader and First Minister of Wales, as he becomes the first black leader of any European country.
Welsh Labour members have chosen Mr Gething, 49, to be their next party leader, succeeding Mark Drakeford, who has held the position since 2018, reports PA.
Mr Gething beat his only rival, the education minister Jeremy Miles. Welsh Labour said Vaughan Gething achieved 51.7% of the vote compared to rival Jeremy Miles with 48.3%. In total, 57.8% of members voted and 9.4% of affiliates, giving an overall turnout of 16.1%.
The current minister for the economy, Mr Gething is expected to be declared the country’s fifth leader since the National Assembly for Wales, now called the Senedd, was established in 1999.
His appointment as Welsh Labour leader was announced this morning (Saturday) in a lecture hall at Cardiff University. However, he will not take over as First Minister until Wednesday – when a vote will be held in the Senedd.
Addressing Labour’s membership, Mr Gething said: “Today we turn the page in the book of our nation’s history. A history that we write together.
"Not just because I have the honour of becoming the first black leader in any European country, but because the generational dial has jumped too.
“Devolution is not something that I have had to get used to or adapt to or apologise for. Devolution – Welsh solutions to Welsh problems and opportunities – is in my blood, it’s what I’ve always known through my adult political life, and that is the same for a growing number of our citizens.
“I want us to use this moment as a starting point, for a more confident march into the future. A march into the future on behalf of the generation that too often is being asked to pick up the pieces and the bill for those who came before them.”
He said in adversity the Welsh cannot be matched, “fighting tooth and nail” for the impossible to happen.
“Wales has every right to be confident, Yma o Hyd (still here) is no longer enough. Of course we’re still here, we have always been here, we always will be here.”
He also offered praise for his predecessor, Mr Drakeford and opponent, Mr Miles. He described Mr Drakeford as the “right leader at the right time,” with a “forensic approach” to public policy through the pandemic.
On Mr Miles he said he hoped “once the dust settled” they would be friends. He said: “Jeremy, the story that you have told, the example you have already set and the ideas that you have promoted in this campaign have already helped to change Wales for the better.”
Vaughan Gething has been elected the next Welsh Labour leader and First Minister of Wales, as he becomes the first black leader of any European country.
Welsh Labour members have chosen Mr Gething, 49, to be their next party leader, succeeding Mark Drakeford, who has held the position since 2018, reports PA.
Mr Gething beat his only rival, the education minister Jeremy Miles. Welsh Labour said Vaughan Gething achieved 51.7% of the vote compared to rival Jeremy Miles with 48.3%. In total, 57.8% of members voted and 9.4% of affiliates, giving an overall turnout of 16.1%.
The current minister for the economy, Mr Gething is expected to be declared the country’s fifth leader since the National Assembly for Wales, now called the Senedd, was established in 1999.
His appointment as Welsh Labour leader was announced this morning (Saturday) in a lecture hall at Cardiff University. However, he will not take over as First Minister until Wednesday – when a vote will be held in the Senedd.
Addressing Labour’s membership, Mr Gething said: “Today we turn the page in the book of our nation’s history. A history that we write together.
"Not just because I have the honour of becoming the first black leader in any European country, but because the generational dial has jumped too.
“Devolution is not something that I have had to get used to or adapt to or apologise for. Devolution – Welsh solutions to Welsh problems and opportunities – is in my blood, it’s what I’ve always known through my adult political life, and that is the same for a growing number of our citizens.
“I want us to use this moment as a starting point, for a more confident march into the future. A march into the future on behalf of the generation that too often is being asked to pick up the pieces and the bill for those who came before them.”
He said in adversity the Welsh cannot be matched, “fighting tooth and nail” for the impossible to happen.
“Wales has every right to be confident, Yma o Hyd (still here) is no longer enough. Of course we’re still here, we have always been here, we always will be here.”
He also offered praise for his predecessor, Mr Drakeford and opponent, Mr Miles. He described Mr Drakeford as the “right leader at the right time,” with a “forensic approach” to public policy through the pandemic.
On Mr Miles he said he hoped “once the dust settled” they would be friends. He said: “Jeremy, the story that you have told, the example you have already set and the ideas that you have promoted in this campaign have already helped to change Wales for the better.”
Vaughan Gething meets Labour supporters in a lecture hall at Cardiff University after being elected as the next Welsh Labour leader and First Minister of Wales, the first black leader of any European country (Image: PA)
The handover in power comes as Wales faces a challenging time, including farmers protesting, NHS waiting lists hitting record highs and an economy recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.
Only Welsh Labour members or part of an affiliated organisation, such as a trade union, were able to participate in the vote – meaning about 100,000 people were able to take part.
Mr Gething had the backing of most of the large unions, and Lord Kinnock, who led the UK party from 1983 to 1992. While Mr Miles saw support from the majority of the Labour members of the Senedd.
The leadership race has not been without controversy, most of which has centred on Mr Gething. There have been a string of concerns raised around £200,000 of donations to Mr Gething from a company which was found guilty of environmental offences in January.
Atlantic Recycling, which is part of Dauson Environmental Group and controlled by David Neal, gave Mr Gething £100,000 on December 18 2023 and £100,000 on January 11 2024.
Atlantic Recycling was also fined £300,000 for one of its workers’ deaths in February after it pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety at work rules.
Earlier this week the BBC revealed that Mr Gething had lobbied regulators in favour of the company, asking Natural Resources Wales to ease restrictions on Atlantic Recycling in 2016.
Mr Gething and his team have always insisted the donation was declared in line with Senedd and Electoral Commission rules and that the minister is committed to transparency.
Early in the campaign concerns were also raised over the Unite union’s backing of Mr Gething, after his opponent was disqualified because he has never held “elected lay office as representatives of workers”.
Mr Miles said it was “a new rule that no-one was aware of” and that members were unhappy.
But Unite insisted it had carried out the nomination process correctly and Mr Gething said it was up to the union to determine its own democratic processes.
Unlike previous Labour leadership elections, all the votes are equally weighted. Selection in the past has used an “electoral college” system, giving greater weight to MPs and Members of the Senedd.
Mr Drakeford is not expected to stand down immediately, with his final first minister’s questions on March 19. A vote will also need to take place in the Senedd at which opposition groups can put forward their own candidates. With Labour the largest party, it is unlikely that any other group would take the role.
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said: “I congratulate Vaughan Gething on winning the Welsh Labour leadership election.
“If elected First Minister on Wednesday as expected, his party’s own record means he inherits significant challenges. He has sat around the Cabinet table and held key portfolios while Wales’s economy has stagnated, NHS waiting lists have grown, and child poverty remains a national scandal. Nothing said during the leadership campaign suggests that we will now see a gear-change in addressing these huge challenges.
“But he also brings his own personal issues. It is a matter of deep concern that we now have an incoming First Minister who before even taking up the highest public office is facing serious allegations and questions about his judgment.
“At the very least, Vaughan Gething should surely return the £200,000 campaign donation which has rightly drawn so much criticism from within his own party and beyond.
“This is not as good as it gets for Wales. The people of Wales deserve a party that has a real vision for the future – one that’s based on fairness and ambition, and that is what a vote for Plaid Cymru can offer.”
Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, offered his congratulations to Mr Gething, pledging to work with him on a range of issues.
He said: “I daresay it will be business as usual because he’s been cut of the same cloth as Mark Drakeford, but I offer this to Vaughan Gething.
“As he comes in as First Minister, we’re happy to work with you as First Minister to get rid of 20MPH, to change the sustainable farming scheme and make sure there’s no more politicians coming to Cardiff Bay and to invest that money in the health service.”
The handover in power comes as Wales faces a challenging time, including farmers protesting, NHS waiting lists hitting record highs and an economy recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.
Only Welsh Labour members or part of an affiliated organisation, such as a trade union, were able to participate in the vote – meaning about 100,000 people were able to take part.
Mr Gething had the backing of most of the large unions, and Lord Kinnock, who led the UK party from 1983 to 1992. While Mr Miles saw support from the majority of the Labour members of the Senedd.
The leadership race has not been without controversy, most of which has centred on Mr Gething. There have been a string of concerns raised around £200,000 of donations to Mr Gething from a company which was found guilty of environmental offences in January.
Atlantic Recycling, which is part of Dauson Environmental Group and controlled by David Neal, gave Mr Gething £100,000 on December 18 2023 and £100,000 on January 11 2024.
Atlantic Recycling was also fined £300,000 for one of its workers’ deaths in February after it pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety at work rules.
Earlier this week the BBC revealed that Mr Gething had lobbied regulators in favour of the company, asking Natural Resources Wales to ease restrictions on Atlantic Recycling in 2016.
Mr Gething and his team have always insisted the donation was declared in line with Senedd and Electoral Commission rules and that the minister is committed to transparency.
Early in the campaign concerns were also raised over the Unite union’s backing of Mr Gething, after his opponent was disqualified because he has never held “elected lay office as representatives of workers”.
Mr Miles said it was “a new rule that no-one was aware of” and that members were unhappy.
But Unite insisted it had carried out the nomination process correctly and Mr Gething said it was up to the union to determine its own democratic processes.
Unlike previous Labour leadership elections, all the votes are equally weighted. Selection in the past has used an “electoral college” system, giving greater weight to MPs and Members of the Senedd.
Mr Drakeford is not expected to stand down immediately, with his final first minister’s questions on March 19. A vote will also need to take place in the Senedd at which opposition groups can put forward their own candidates. With Labour the largest party, it is unlikely that any other group would take the role.
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said: “I congratulate Vaughan Gething on winning the Welsh Labour leadership election.
“If elected First Minister on Wednesday as expected, his party’s own record means he inherits significant challenges. He has sat around the Cabinet table and held key portfolios while Wales’s economy has stagnated, NHS waiting lists have grown, and child poverty remains a national scandal. Nothing said during the leadership campaign suggests that we will now see a gear-change in addressing these huge challenges.
“But he also brings his own personal issues. It is a matter of deep concern that we now have an incoming First Minister who before even taking up the highest public office is facing serious allegations and questions about his judgment.
“At the very least, Vaughan Gething should surely return the £200,000 campaign donation which has rightly drawn so much criticism from within his own party and beyond.
“This is not as good as it gets for Wales. The people of Wales deserve a party that has a real vision for the future – one that’s based on fairness and ambition, and that is what a vote for Plaid Cymru can offer.”
Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, offered his congratulations to Mr Gething, pledging to work with him on a range of issues.
He said: “I daresay it will be business as usual because he’s been cut of the same cloth as Mark Drakeford, but I offer this to Vaughan Gething.
“As he comes in as First Minister, we’re happy to work with you as First Minister to get rid of 20MPH, to change the sustainable farming scheme and make sure there’s no more politicians coming to Cardiff Bay and to invest that money in the health service.”
Mr RT Davies accused Labour of having “a lot of extreme views” on its backbenches, promising to give Mr Gething the votes to “deliver common sense” and deliver improvements in the Welsh NHS, education and the economy. "It’s time to deliver the people’s priorities,” he added.
By Jill Lawless | AP
March 16, 2024
LONDON — Vaughan Gething won the Welsh Labour Party leadership contest on Saturday, and is set to become the first Black leader of Wales’ semi-autonomous government.
Gething, the son of a Welsh father and a Zambian mother, will be the first Black leader of a government in the U.K. — and, according to him, of any European country.
“Today, we turn a page in the book of our nation’s history. A history we write together,” Gething said in his victory speech. “Not just because I have the honor of becoming the first Black leader in any European country — but because the generational dial has jumped too.
“I want us to use this moment as a starting point, for a more confident march into the future,” he added.
Gething, who is currently Welsh economy minister, narrowly beat Education Minister Jeremy Miles in a race to replace First Minister Mark Drakeford. Drakeford, 69, announced late last year he would step down once a replacement was chosen.
Gething, 50, won 51.7% of the votes cast by members of the party and affiliated trade unions, and Miles 48.3%.
Once he is confirmed on Wednesday by the Welsh parliament, the Senedd, where Labour is the largest party, Gething will become the fifth first minister since Wales’ national legislature was established in 1999.
Once Gething is in the post, three of the U.K.’s four governments will have nonwhite leaders. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has Indian heritage, while Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf was born to a Pakistani family in Britain.
Northern Ireland is led jointly by Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly, meaning that for the first time there are no white male heads of government in the U.K.
Wales, which has a population of about 3 million, is one of four parts of the United Kingdom, along with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The British government in London is responsible for defense, foreign
He’ll take over a government that is often at odds with Sunak’s Conservative administration in London. Wales has also seen a wave of protests over environmental rules by farmers, similar to those that have roiled France and other European countries.
Gething was the front-runner to win the contest, though his campaign was rattled by the revelation that he’d accepted 200,000 pounds ($255,000) in donations from a recycling company that was found guilty of environmental offenses and breaching health and safety regulations.
Gething said that the donations were properly declared under electoral rules.
Other party leaders offered congratulations to Gething, along with a dose of skepticism.
“I daresay it will be business as usual, because he’s been cut of the same cloth as Mark Drakeford,” Welsh Conservative leader Andrew R.T. Davies said.
Who is Vaughan Gething, the new Welsh Labour leader?
The first black leader of a European nation has made history more than once during a rocky political career to date
Gething to become Welsh first minister
Steven Morris
Sat 16 Mar 2024
Vaughan Gething describes himself as “a Welshman born in Zambia” , with his father, a vet from the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales, having met his mother, a Zambian chicken farmer, while he was working in southern Africa.
His parents experienced racism when the family moved to Britain and Gething joined the Labour party at the age of 17 after being inspired by articles about Nelson Mandela he read in on his newspaper round.
He studied at Aberystwyth and Cardiff universities, became the first black president of the National Union of Students Wales and went on to work as a trade union lawyer.
Gething, who turned 50 on Friday, made history in 2013 when he became the first black minister in any of the devolved nations. He then rose up the ministerial ladder and has worked as the health and, most recently, the economy minister.
The path has been rocky at times. He was the health minister during the Covid crisis and was criticised when he was pictured eating chips in a park with his family during lockdown. He insisted he had not broken the rules, but “chipgate” was damaging.
This week he had a difficult time at the UK Covid inquiry when he admitted all his WhatsApp messages from during the pandemic had vanished when his Senedd phone underwent a “security rebuild”.
In an interview with the Guardian, Gething said he wanted to be judged not on his skin colour but on his ability.
But, he said: “You can’t deny the historic nature of it. I think I should win because I’m the best candidate. I’ve got loads of experience. I’ve got values rooted in our movement. I was a trade union shop steward, Wales TUC [Trades Union Congress] president, had 10 years as an employment lawyer and I have a vision for the future. But if I win, the fact that I’ll be the first black leader of any European nation is a matter of historic significance.”
His importance as a role model was highlighted last September when he made an emotional visit to Birmingham, Alabama, to represent Wales at the 60th anniversary of the racist bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church in which four black girls were killed. The people of Wales raised money for a stained glass window depicting a black Christ to be installed as part of the church’s restoration.
Gething said when he got up to speak (having rehearsed for the daunting moment in a Greek Orthodox church in Cardiff), there was an audible gasp. “Even in Birmingham, Alabama, a very black city, they didn’t expect someone who looked like me to stand up from Wales,” he said.
As part of his leadership campaign, Gething pledged to set up the Mari Rees fund, named in honour of a black Welsh Labour candidate for the Senedd elections in 2011.
“She died a month before the election. She would have been fantastic. The fund will pay for training and development for black, Asian and minority ethnic members to help them progress within Labour and stand in elections,” he said. “I think our Senedd needs to do more to look like our country.”
Gething is not a Welsh speaker but he is learning. “I think it would be great to have a learner in the first minister’s office,” he said. “We have this target of reaching a million Welsh speakers. To get to a million we need more people like me, people who are learning, showing the language is really there for all of us, it’s not there to exclude people. It’s something for all of us to be proud of.”
IN-TRAY
General election
One of Gething’s key jobs this year will be to lead Welsh Labour into the general election. Wales is a Labour stronghold but a key Welsh Labour message for years has been that it will protect the country from the Conservatives. This tactic doesn’t work when Keir Starmer is expected to become prime minister so a new strategy will be needed.
Major challenges
The Welsh population is older, poorer and sicker than that of England. The cost of living crisis is biting deeply and Gething will need to work hard on boosting the economy and protecting the most vulnerable people. Health and education are devolved issues. The Tories will increase their attacks on Labour’s management of these areas in Wales in the run-up to the election. Waiting lists are long, school results have been disappointing. There is much to do.
Sensitive issues
Two of the former leader Mark Drakeford’s most controversial policies will continue to trouble the new first minister. A record number of people have signed a petition against the 20mph speed limit policy. And farmers will continue to challenge the Welsh government’s environmental policies, which they see as an assault on their way of life and the countryside.
Vaughan Gething describes himself as “a Welshman born in Zambia” , with his father, a vet from the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales, having met his mother, a Zambian chicken farmer, while he was working in southern Africa.
His parents experienced racism when the family moved to Britain and Gething joined the Labour party at the age of 17 after being inspired by articles about Nelson Mandela he read in on his newspaper round.
He studied at Aberystwyth and Cardiff universities, became the first black president of the National Union of Students Wales and went on to work as a trade union lawyer.
Gething, who turned 50 on Friday, made history in 2013 when he became the first black minister in any of the devolved nations. He then rose up the ministerial ladder and has worked as the health and, most recently, the economy minister.
The path has been rocky at times. He was the health minister during the Covid crisis and was criticised when he was pictured eating chips in a park with his family during lockdown. He insisted he had not broken the rules, but “chipgate” was damaging.
This week he had a difficult time at the UK Covid inquiry when he admitted all his WhatsApp messages from during the pandemic had vanished when his Senedd phone underwent a “security rebuild”.
In an interview with the Guardian, Gething said he wanted to be judged not on his skin colour but on his ability.
But, he said: “You can’t deny the historic nature of it. I think I should win because I’m the best candidate. I’ve got loads of experience. I’ve got values rooted in our movement. I was a trade union shop steward, Wales TUC [Trades Union Congress] president, had 10 years as an employment lawyer and I have a vision for the future. But if I win, the fact that I’ll be the first black leader of any European nation is a matter of historic significance.”
His importance as a role model was highlighted last September when he made an emotional visit to Birmingham, Alabama, to represent Wales at the 60th anniversary of the racist bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church in which four black girls were killed. The people of Wales raised money for a stained glass window depicting a black Christ to be installed as part of the church’s restoration.
Gething said when he got up to speak (having rehearsed for the daunting moment in a Greek Orthodox church in Cardiff), there was an audible gasp. “Even in Birmingham, Alabama, a very black city, they didn’t expect someone who looked like me to stand up from Wales,” he said.
As part of his leadership campaign, Gething pledged to set up the Mari Rees fund, named in honour of a black Welsh Labour candidate for the Senedd elections in 2011.
“She died a month before the election. She would have been fantastic. The fund will pay for training and development for black, Asian and minority ethnic members to help them progress within Labour and stand in elections,” he said. “I think our Senedd needs to do more to look like our country.”
Gething is not a Welsh speaker but he is learning. “I think it would be great to have a learner in the first minister’s office,” he said. “We have this target of reaching a million Welsh speakers. To get to a million we need more people like me, people who are learning, showing the language is really there for all of us, it’s not there to exclude people. It’s something for all of us to be proud of.”
IN-TRAY
General election
One of Gething’s key jobs this year will be to lead Welsh Labour into the general election. Wales is a Labour stronghold but a key Welsh Labour message for years has been that it will protect the country from the Conservatives. This tactic doesn’t work when Keir Starmer is expected to become prime minister so a new strategy will be needed.
Major challenges
The Welsh population is older, poorer and sicker than that of England. The cost of living crisis is biting deeply and Gething will need to work hard on boosting the economy and protecting the most vulnerable people. Health and education are devolved issues. The Tories will increase their attacks on Labour’s management of these areas in Wales in the run-up to the election. Waiting lists are long, school results have been disappointing. There is much to do.
Sensitive issues
Two of the former leader Mark Drakeford’s most controversial policies will continue to trouble the new first minister. A record number of people have signed a petition against the 20mph speed limit policy. And farmers will continue to challenge the Welsh government’s environmental policies, which they see as an assault on their way of life and the countryside.
