Vaughan Gething announces he will stand down from Senedd following scandals

Vaughan Gething

Vaughan Gething announces he will stand down from Senedd following scandals

PA
Oliver Trapnell

By Oliver Trapnell


Published: 08/09/2024

- 08:34

Gething’s successor thanked him for his service

Vaughan Gething has announced he will not seek re-election for the Senedd following a series of scandals during his tenure as First Minister of Wales.

The former First Minister said it had been “an immense honour” to serve his constituents and in the Welsh Government as he made the announcement.


On X, the MS for Cardiff South and Penarth, wrote: “I have spoken to the First Minister to confirm that I will not be seeking a role in Government and that I will support her leadership as a backbencher.”

After paying tribute to his successor Eluned Morgan, Gething added: “I will continue to serve the constituency until 2026 and look forward to working on issues where I can further the causes of social justice that drew me into public service.”

Vaughan GethingVaughan Gething announces he will stand down from Senedd following scandalsPA

The Labour MS added: “As a Welshman born in Zambia, it has been a great honour to serve in the Welsh Government for over a decade.

“The opportunity to make a difference alongside inspiring people and movements, determined to make change happen, is a special privilege.

“One I will always be grateful for and proud of.”

Gething lasted less than 140 days as First Minister, having presided over a turbulent period in office, beset by rows over donations and sacked ministers.

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Vaughan GethingVaughan Gething was appointed First Minister of Wales in MarchPA

He took over from Mark Drakeford in March and announced his intention to resign in July after four members of his Government quit, criticising his leadership.

During the last leadership race, Gething took a £200,000 donation for his campaign from a company owned by a man twice convicted of environmental offences, which led to some members of his own party criticising his judgment.

In June, Gething lost a vote of no confidence in the Senedd, after rows over the donation, and his decision to sack Delyn MS Hannah Blythyn as a minister.

Baroness Morgan was Health Secretary from 2021 until she succeeded Gething – himself a former Health Secretary – as leader of Welsh Labour on July 24, and was then sworn in as the first woman First Minister of Wales.

Eluned Morgan in picturesEluned Morgan has been appointed the new First Minister of Wales GETTY

She paid tribute to her predecessor, and said he had made “a truly historic contribution to Wales in some of the toughest of circumstances”.

Baroness Morgan added: “I know that Vaughan will go on to make important contributions to our country in the years ahead.

“Diolch Vaughan am bopeth rwyt ti wedi neud dros ein gwlad (Thank you Vaughan for everything you have done for our country).”

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Labour MP for Torfaen, and a senior minister in Sir Keir Starmer’s Government at Westminster, said Mr Gething had given “extraordinary service to Wales” in a tribute on social media site X.

“I will always remember how he stepped up during the pandemic, showing integrity and commitment in the hardest of times,” he added.

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