Early evening summary
Updated
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has issued a statement about the resignation of Vaughan Gething claiming that Welsh government is failing. He said:
In the general election, Reform launched its contract with the people on the Gurnos Estate in Merthyr to demonstrate the reality of a Labour government.
Even Keir Starmer has described the Labour administration in Wales as a “blueprint” and “living proof of what Labour looks like in power.”
If 20mph speed limits, a failing NHS and falling education standards weren’t bad enough, we can now add political chaos and habitual mismanagement to that list.
Reform UK stands ready to give the people of Wales a new voice.
Reform UK got 17% of the vote in Wales at the general election.
Updated
Back to Vaughan Gething, and here are two commentators arguing that he was to blame for his downfall because he did not take concerns about his conduct seriously.
This is from an article in the New Statesman by Freddie Hayward saying Gething had to quit.
During the general election campaign, Angela Rayner and Keir Starmer did campaign alongside Gething. His tricky political situation was glossed over in order to protect Starmer’s promise to restore probity and professionalism to public life. When the Senedd opposition brought forward a vote of confidence, which Gething lost, the party line was that it was a show of parliamentary games. In a sign of Westminster’s thoughtless disdain for Welsh politics, then shadow cabinet member Emily Thornberry dismissed the vote as a “gimmick”. But the fact Gething made the same argument revealed his own disregard for the institutions of Welsh devolution. By dismissing MSs’ views, Gething undermined the Senedd’s constitutional claim to being a Welsh parliament because parliaments operate on the principle that the first minister must command the confidence of members.
Which partly explains why it proved such a feeble barricade to the opposition’s calls for him to go. Whether he recognised the vote of confidence as legitimate or not, he did not have the numbers to pass a budget. He could not even muster all of his MSs to support him in the confidence vote. Meanwhile, at a national level, where Starmer wants to project change and seriousness, support was wearing thin. When I spoke to senior members in the national party last night, no one made the case for him to stay. They could sense the inevitable.
And this is from Will Hayward at WalesOnline.
From the very start Mr Gething behaved as if both the following things were true:
— Will Hayward (@WillHayCardiff) July 16, 2024
- He had a majority in the Senedd
- He enjoyed the unwavering support of most of his own MSs
The problem was - neither were.
Full analysis in my news letter this evening (link in pinned tweet)
From the very start Mr Gething behaved as if both the following things were true:
- He had a majority in the Senedd
- He enjoyed the unwavering support of most of his own MSs
The problem was - neither were.
Reform UK on average came second in school mock elections, mass survey shows
The Reform UK party might be making in-roads with young people, according to the results of schools’ mock elections that saw the new party come second overall ahead of the Green party.
Before the general election the Association of Citizenship Teaching ran “parallel elections” in UK schools, with more than 400 schools and nearly 30,000 students taking part.
According to the collected results, Labour came first with 32%, followed by Reform with 18.8%, just ahead of the Greens on 18.1%. The Lib Dems were fourth with 13%, while the Conservatives trailed behind with 8%.
This may have had a lot to do with boys voting Reform. As this chart from a John Burn-Murdoch article in the Financial Times points out, Nigel Farage’s party seems to appeal in particular to young men.
The associations provided the schools with teaching materials in the weeks before polling, aiming for students “to mirror the general election as closely as possible”.
Tories should lose some official opposition perks, like 1 question at PMQs, given rise of smaller parties, thinktank suggests
At the election the Tories recorded their worst general election result since they started calling themselves the Conservative party almost 200 years ago. But in the Commons they are still designated the official opposition, because they are the largest opposition party, and this gives them certain privileges at Westminster not available to the smaller opposition parties.
But in the past the official opposition has had around three quarters of all opposition seats. Now the Tories have just over half of all opposition seats, and the Hansard Society, the charity/thinktank that promotes parliamentary democracy, has published an article suggesting that it is time for the perks of oppostion to be shared out more fairly.
In his article Paul Evans, a former clerk of the Commons, says:
The real story of the 2024 election was the catastrophic losses suffered by the Conservative party – the lowest ever score of seats in a century, though they still retain the status of the Official Opposition (or “His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition” if you prefer). The table below compares their share of opposition seats to the seat shares at three recent low points for the parties that formed the Official Opposition.
At a glance it is clear that the make-up of the opposition in this parliament is very different from what we are used to. Whereas in the recent past the Official Opposition has held around 70-74% of the seats on the opposition benches, in this parliament it holds just over half (53%). Consequently, the second-largest opposition party and the other parties concerned all hold a much bigger share of seats than their predecessors in previous parliaments.
This significant change in the political make-up of the opposition benches inevitably raises questions about whether the Official Opposition party, being so much smaller than its predecessors, should retain the same predominant share of the rights and responsibilities that go with the role.
Here is the table.
Evans suggests various ways in which parliamentary procedure could be made fairer to the smaller opposition parties, including the Tory leader losing one of their six questions at PMQs so that the Lib Dems can get an extra one, the Tories losing some of their opposition day debates, and other parties getting a share of the £1m allocated to the leader of the opposition for their office.
As Pippa Crerar reports, the government has invited councils in areas where there are no metro mayors to join forces and request extra devolved powers. The press notice from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is here, and here is Pippa’s story.
This afternoon the Conservative party released a response, in effect accusing Angela Rayner, the housing secretary, of hypocrisy. A Tory spokesperson said:
Labour is giving with one hand and taking with the other – just last week Angela Rayner removed the power of local communities to stop Labour concreting over the green belt.
The Conservatives will hold Labour to account to ensure local residents have accountable and responsive local services.
Helen Grant, who served as a junior minister under David Cameron, is thinking of standing for deputy speaker, Aubrey Allegretti from the Times reports.
Another Tory MP has thrown their hat in the ring for deputy speaker.
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) July 16, 2024
Helen Grant, a former minister and vice-chair of the Conservative party, has today been courting support from colleagues.
Another Tory MP has thrown their hat in the ring for deputy speaker.
Helen Grant, a former minister and vice-chair of the Conservative party, has today been courting support from colleagues.
Updated
Public confidence in Scottish government at lowest level since devolution began, report says
Public confidence in the Scottish government has plummeted to its lowest level since the advent of devolution, with support for higher taxes also falling, a major annual survey has found.
The Scottish social attitudes survey found that only 47% of respondents believed the devolved government worked in Scotland’s best interests “most of the time” or “just about always”, down from 61% in 2019 and a high of 72% in 2015.
It found that 62% did not believe the Scottish government was good at listening to people, with only 35% thinking it was good at doing so. That was the worst rating since 1999.
These findings, based on face to face polling of 1,574 people carried out in September and October last year, will make further painful reading for the Scottish National party government. It haemorrhaged support at the general election, losing 39 of its 48 Westminster seats after nearly 518,000 SNP voters swung behind Labour, the Greens or other parties, or stayed at home.
The survey found supporters of independence were more likely to be positive than those who did not but that was not uniform; roughly 30% of yes voters did not trust it.
The study found a plurality supported the Scottish government’s long-running policy of slowly increasing taxes on the better paid to support higher public spending, but that support has also decreased, from 55% in 2019 down to 47%.
The survey’s foreword pointed out the survey took place during the cost of living crisis, a slump in Scotland’s economic growth, and the “extreme pressures” facing the NHS.
Even so, it noted that positive attitudes towards the UK government, which have been consistently lower, crept up, from 15% in 2019 to 21% last year. (The UK government’s highest positive rating, of 37%, occurred in 2007.)
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, said the survey’s findings were “an utterly damning indictment of the Tories and the SNP’s records in government – a Tory government that caused economic turmoil and an SNP government that has led our NHS to breaking point.”
Jamie Hepburn, the government’s business manager at Holyrood, said the survey showed support for its main policy goals – a desire to see the economy grow and for wealth redistribution. “This aligns with the Scottish government’s commitments and how we are working hard to provide support to those who need it most was positive about,” he said.
The Welsh Conservatives have said they do not back Plaid Cymru’s call for an early election in Wales. (See 12.24pm.) Andrew RT Davies, the party’s Welsh leader, told PA Media:
I think that’s being very hot-headed in the current climate.
Because actually, what would happen would be that we could have an election now and then we’d still have to have a full Senedd election in 2026.
I don’t think people want a full-blown general election here in Wales. What people want is clear leadership, direction of travel, and improvements in their everyday lives.
The Tories might have other reasons for not wanting an early Senedd election. At the general election they did not win a single seat in Wales, and their vote share was down by 18 percentage points.
Pippa Crerar has filed an analysis of the significance of Vaughan Gething’s resignation. Here is an excerpt.
Gething’s departure provides Welsh Labour with an opportunity for a reset. But some in the party fear their woes in Cardiff may go wider than one man, and that after almost 23 years in power there the public is restless.
That is despite a strong showing for the party at the general election when Labour won back a string of Welsh seats from the Tories – wiping them out in Wales – ending up on 27 seats, nine more than the 2019 tally.
In recent years, the party has faced pressure over issues including the state of the NHS and 20mph speed limits in Wales. But more broadly, some voters feel that Labour in Cardiff has failed to significantly improve their lives.
The perils of long-term incumbency that did for the SNP in Scotland and, in part, the Conservatives right across the country, also exist in Wales. But despite Labour’s support in Wales looking more resilient, it must show in the months ahead that it is not taking voters for granted.
And here is the article in full.
Huw Irranca-Davies, tipped as potential candidate to replace Gething, rules out early election
ITV’s Paul Brand says two of the leading candidates to replace Vaughan Gething are Jeremy Miles, who lost to Gething by 51.7% to 48.3% and who resigned as economy secretary this morning (see 10.17am) and Huw Irranca-Davies, a former UK government minister who resigned as an MP in 2016 so he could pursue a career in the Senedd and who is now climate change secretary.
Possible names to replace him already circulating...
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) July 16, 2024
Huw Irranca-Davies - former MP
Jeremy Miles - who came v close to beating Gething
Also a lot of desire for a woman candidate, given dominance of Welsh politics by men over the course of devolution (never been a female FM).
Possible names to replace him already circulating...
Huw Irranca-Davies - former MP
Jeremy Miles - who came v close to beating Gething
Also a lot of desire for a woman candidate, given dominance of Welsh politics by men over the course of devolution (never been a female FM).
Irranca-Davies was on Radio 4’s the World at One. Describing Gething as a friend, he said this was a sad day. Gething had spent 30 years in public service, he said. And what happened to him showed “if we want people to stand for top office, or for any part of public service, we need to think about the way that we conduct debates”.
Irranca-Davies said “a wide range of things” had led up to this. Asked if Gething was to blame for the mistakes he made, Irranca-Davies said no. He said Gething was going because he realised he no longer had enough support in the party.
Sarah Montague, the presenter, put it to him that it was unreasonable for Gething to complain in his resignation statement (see 11.36am) about “the burden of proof” no longer being important when he sacked a minister for a leak which the website that published it said she was not responsible for. Irranca-Davies said he did not want to discuss this, because both people involved were friends of his, and both were under intense pressure.
Asked if the Senedd elections should be brought forward, as Plaid Cymru is demanding, Irranca-Davies said he did not agree. He went on:
This is not the time for election. What the people of Wales want is focusing on the business of government and delivering for them, not playing political guessing games.
Adam Price, the former Plaid Cymru leader, said the Labour government at Westminister is going to appoint an ethics commissioner able to investigate complaints at their own initiative. He put it to Gething that, if the Senedd had a similar system, these problems could have been avoided.
Gething said he did not accept that.
And, referring to the controversy about his decision to sack Hannah Blythyn over allegedly leaking text messages, he said today he published the evidence to justify this.
The leak was about a message from Gething during Covid saying he was deleting messages because they could be subject to a Freedom of Information request. (Gething was health minister for the first year of the pandemic, and then economy minister.)
Last week Nation.Cymru, the website that published a story based on its leak, took the highly unusual step for a news organisation of saying that Blythyn was not its source.
Updated
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, said that by his actions, and particularly by ignoring the no confidence vote in him, Vaughan Gething had brought his office into disrepute. He called for an early election.
Referring to ap Iorwerth’s references to the donor who contributed to his campaign (see 1.45pm), Gething said the solar farm application would not have been a matter for him. And he would not have been involved in applications to the Bank of Wales either.
Ap Iorwerth says what happened in Cardiff was “a classic case of party before country”. The Welsh Labour party did not want to do anything about Gething because they did not want to rock the boat during the general election campaign. He again called for a general election.
Gething said there has just been an election. And he said ap Iorwerth was not entitled to question the loyalty of Welsh Labour politicians to their country.
Gething says he expects new Welsh Labour leader to be elected by 'early in autumn'
Back in the Senedd Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Conservative leader, told members that Vaughan Gething had refused to shake his hands in a lift in the building this morning. He said he wished Gething the best. He asked what it was that forced Gething out.
In repsonse, Gething said he was confident about his integrity.
Davies asked if the Labour group was capable of uniting behind another leader. Could it last until 2026?
“Of course we can,” said Gething. He said it would be for the people of Wales to decide who should form the next government, in an expanded Senedd, at the next election. He said he was sad to be standing down as first minister but was still “full of optimism” for what the Senedd could achieve.
Davies asked what the timetable would be for a Labour leadership election.
Gething said he would remain first minister until a new leader was elected. The executive of the Welsh Labour party would decide the timetable for that contest, he said. He said a new Labour leader would be in place “early in the autumn”.
Boris Johnson has “flown to the US to speak to an almost empty room at the Republican National Convention”, Sophie Huskisson reports in a story for the Mirror.
Exclusive: Humiliating photo shows Boris Johnson speaking to almost empty room at Republican conventionhttps://t.co/ro72TGr3GO
— Sophie Huskisson (@soph_husk) July 16, 2024
Gething rejects claim 'chaos' in Labour party has stopped Welsh government functioning properly
In the Senedd Plaid Cymru’s Siân Gwenllian said the chaos in the Labour party in Wales was “unforgiveable”. Speaking in Welsh, she said that it had led to government business being delayed, and as an example she cited a white paper on housing which she said had been delayed.
Gething replied: “Well, obviously I don’t share the member’s view.”
He said that, despite all the “noise”, the government had been getting on with its job.
Gething delivers resignation statement to members of Senedd
In his resignation statement Vaughan Gething hinted there could be an element of racism in the factors that led to him being forced out of office. (See 11.36am.) After saying that he had been unfairly accused of wrongdoing, he said:
To those in Wales who look like me – many of whom I know feel personally bruised and worried by this moment – I know that our country can be better. I know that cannot happen without us.
There will – and there must be – a government that looks like the country it serves.
In an interview on Radio 4’s World at One, Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, was asked if he thought racism was part of the reason for Gething having to resign. He replied:
Not at all. This is about a first minister that proved himself from the outset determined to put himself before everything else,
Even before he came into the job of first minister, there was the scandal around the £200,000 pound donation from a convicted environmental polluter, who happens to have taken out a £400,000 pound loan from government Bank of Wales, who happens to want government permission to build a solar park.
Now, the first minister has come back to this point that no rule was broken. But we know that in politics, and under the ministerial code even, there’s an importance placed on perception. And he completely failed to accept [the concerns about perception].
The Conservative party are considering holding hustings for the final two leadership candidates at the party conference, with the members’ ballot taking place afterwards, Steven Swinford reports in a story for the Times. He says the party is considering this timetable, instead of holding a series of hustings after conference, with the ballot in November, partly for financial reasons. He says:
The 1922 Committee, which represents backbench MPs, and the board of the Conservative party are this week expected to set out the timetable for the contest.
Under the plans being considered MPs will whittle down the contenders – there are expected to be as many as seven – to two in September. The hustings would be held during the Conservative party conference at the beginning of October before party
There are concerns that if the contest drags on it will lead to significant financial difficulties for the party. Donors are likely to hold off giving money until Rishi Sunak’s successor has been elected.
Former minister Alan Duncan renews his attack on Tory links with Israel after inquiry clears him of antisemitism
In April the Conservative party said that it was launching an investigation into Alan Duncan, the former MP and former Foreign Office minister, after he gave an interview claiming several figures at the top of the party were too pro-Israel. He also alleged that the Conservative Friends of Israel group had too much influence on government, alleging it was “doing the bidding of [Benjamin] Netanyahu”, the Israeli PM.
As Kiran Stacey reports, Duncan is today saying he has been exonerated. But he has renewed his attack on his party’s links with Israel.
NEW: Very odd tale breaking in the Tory party.
— Kiran Stacey (@kiranstacey) July 16, 2024
Alan Duncan exonerated after a party investigation into whether recent comments about Israel were antisemitic. But oddly, the exoneration includes an admission that there was never any formal complaint to CCHQ.
NEW: Very odd tale breaking in the Tory party.
Alan Duncan exonerated after a party investigation into whether recent comments about Israel were antisemitic. But oddly, the exoneration includes an admission that there was never any formal complaint to CCHQ.
Duncan launches a blistering attack on his own party. Says there is a corrupt relationship between the Conservative Friends of Israel and the party itself.
Alan Duncan on his own party: “Money, improper influence, and the promotion of Israeli interests about our own have contributed to the destruction of the UK as independent foreign policy.”
Starmer pays tribute to Gething, saying he was first black leader of any country in Europe
Keir Starmer has paid tribute to Vaughan Gething following his resignation. In a statement he said:
I want to thank Vaughan for his service as leader of the Welsh Labour party and as first minister of Wales.
Vaughan should take enormous pride in being the first black leader of any country in Europe.
That achievement will have broadened the ambitions and raised the gaze of a generation of young people in Wales and beyond.
I know what a difficult decision this has been for him – but I also know that he has made it because he feels it is the best decision now for Wales.
I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Labour MP Clive Lewis has to take oath second time after missing out 'heirs and successors' in first, protest version
The Labour MP Clive Lewis has had to take the oath as a new MP for a second time after failing to affirm allegiance to the king’s “heirs and successors” the first time. He adapted the wording to say he was affirming under protest.
Last week Lewis said:
I take this oath under protest and in the hope that one day my fellow citizens will democratically decide to live in a republic.
Until that time I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, according to law.
But the full affirmation also includes “his heirs and successors” after mention of the king.
Today Lewis said:
I was elected to parliament to represent my constituents and our country to the best of my ability to defend democracy and uphold human rights and one day I hope all members of parliament will be entitled to swear an oath of allegiance based on those values.
I do solemnly and sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law.
MPs are not allowed to take their seats, speak in debates, vote or get a salary unless that swear or affirm the oath of allegiance.
Vaughan Gething has delivered his resignation statement on camera. The BBC has the clip here.
Plaid Cymru calls for early election in Wales following Gething's resignation
Plaid Cymru is calling for an early election in Wales in the light of Vaughan Gething’s resignation.
In a statement Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, said:
The people of Wales have lost faith in the first minister, belatedly he has done that right thing and resigned.
But the people of Wales are losing confidence in Labour’s ability to govern Wales.
This could be the third Labour first minister in seven months – a revolving door of chaos.
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.
The next Senedd elections are not due until 2026, but they could be brought forward if the Labour government were to lose a no confidence vote. Vaughan Gething did lose a confidence vote last month, but that was a no confidence vote about him personally, not about the government as a whole. He lost by 29 votes to 27 after two Labour MSs said they could not vote because they were unwell. Both of them were critics of Gething and it is assumed that if it had been a vote of confidence in the Labour government, they might have managed to attend.
Plaid Cymru did well in the general election, and would welcome the chance to have a Senedd election now. They returned four MPs, which amounted to gaining two because, if the last election had been fought on the new boundaries, they would have only won two seats in 2019. And their share of the vote was up by 4.9 percentage points, while Labour’s was down by 3.9 percentage points.
Updated
Will Hayward, the WalesOnline Welsh affairs editor, posted a good video on X last week explaining why Vaughan Gething had lost the confidence of colleagues and why Hayward thought he would eventually have to resign. It’s here.
For the many, many people who don’t actually follow Welsh politics, it can be hard to understand the situation with our First Minister Vaughan Gething.
— Will Hayward (@WillHayCardiff) July 11, 2024
To help explain I made this video about what’s going on in Wales.
(Bear with me, I’m trained to write not to speak) pic.twitter.com/kwbinsGi8o
I have beefed up the post at 11.36am so it now carries the full text of Vaughan Gething’s resignation statement. The earlier post carried the bulk of it, but it omitted a few paragraphs in the middle about what drew him into public service in the first place. To get the update to appear, you may need to refresh the page.
Keir Starmer wants to ensure that, if Donald Trump becomes the next US president, the Labour government can have a constructive working relationship with his administration and the JD Vance “Islamist” jibe is unlikely to change his thinking on this.
In a story for the i, Hugo Gye and Arj Singh say that on Sunday Starmer’s aides initially suggested he should just send a note to Trump expressing sympathy after the assassination attempt, but Starmer said he wanted to offer his support in person, in a call. Gye and Singh say:
Aides had initially suggested sending a note of sympathy, but Sir Keir decided that he wanted to speak to Trump instead in order to emphasise his sincerity, i understands.
British officials were pleased by how quickly the Trump team agreed to the suggestion once it was put to them via the British embassy, despite the chaos surrounding the presidential candidate after the shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania.
The conversation on Sunday afternoon lasted up to 10 minutes and mostly focussed on the immediate situation, but Trump also took the opportunity to congratulate Sir Keir on becoming prime minister.
'My integrity matters, I have not compromised it' - what Vaughan Gething said in his resignation statement
Here is Vaughan Gething’s resignation statement in full.
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.
To see the dedication to public service from our civil service, and the dedication to civility from the Welsh public.
To see the election of a new government in Westminster, and the fresh hope that brings to Wales.
I have always pursued my political career to serve Wales.
And being able to show under-represented communities that there is a place for them, for us, is an honour and privilege that will never diminish.
It’s what drew me into public service. Before becoming an MS [member of the Senedd] I fought employment cases for people who’d been mistreated at work.
I wanted to give power to those without a voice.
That has always been my motivation.
I also campaigned to help create the Senedd, clocking up 30 years of work to support Wales’ devolution journey.
This has been the most difficult time, for me, and my family.
A growing assertion that some kind of wrongdoing has taken place has been pernicious, politically motivated and patently untrue.
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.
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. I do hope that can change.
I will now discuss a timetable for the election of a new leader of my party.
Finally, I want to say thank you to those who have reached out to support me, my team and my family in recent weeks.
It has meant the world to all of us.
To those in Wales who look like me – many of whom I know feel personally bruised and worried by this moment – I know that our country can be better. I know that cannot happen without us.
There will – and there must be – a government that looks like the country it serves.
Thank you.
Updated
Vaughan Gething said he will “begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour party and, as a result, first minister”, PA reports.
Vaughan Gething to resign as Welsh first minister
Vaughan Gething is resigning as Welsh first minister, the BBC is reporting.
Updated
The JD Vance comment about Britain supposedly becoming an Islamist country under Labour (see 8.42am) is an example of the extreme political rhetoric that has coarsened politics on both sides of the Atlantic in recent years. Yesterday Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, announced that she will chair a meeting of the Defending Democracy taskforce to consider how election candidates are being exposed to more aggression and intimidation than in the past.
This morning Brendan Cox, whose wife, the Labour MP Jo Cox, was murdered by a far-right terrorist during the Brexit referendum in 2016, told the Today programme that he thought the problem was getting worse. He said:
There was a wide range of intimidation, but I do think it was another level.
Having spoken to lots of MPs about it, there was a sense that something had changed, that they felt hunted, that they felt unable to go about campaigning – that there were men in balaclavas, there were fireworks being thrown, there were tyres being slashed …
Let’s be clear, this isn’t just about one community. It’s not just about people that are pro-Gaza.
Whether it was around the Scottish referendum or the Brexit referendum, I think there is something more caustic in our democratic culture which means that intimidation of MPs, and in some cases even attacks on MPs and councillors, is being seen as more legitimate by a wider range of courses.
Plaid Cymru accuses Starmer of being Vaughan Gething's 'main cheerleader' as resignations trigger Welsh government crisis
Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives, the two main opposition parties in the Senedd, are both saying Vaughan Gething cannot continue as first minister in the light of the latest crisis to hit his government. (See 10.17am and 10.25am.)
But they are also both blaming Labour for backing Gething.
Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Conservative leader, said:
Vaughan Gething’s time as first minister is rightly coming to an end.
But Labour cannot fool the people of Wales. These ministers, like Jeremy Miles, sat in his cabinet, they stood by his side, and they are culpable for the breakdown of governance in Wales.
Wales will remember.
And in his comment Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, claimed Keir Starmer should take some responsibility for what was happening in the Welsh Labour party. He said:
Vaughan Gething has led a government of chaos and put his own self-interest before the interests of the people of Wales.
For months, the first minister’s poor judgment, aversion to scrutiny and ‘do nothing’ approach to governing has undermined the office of first minister and brought Welsh politics into disrepute.
Seldom have heads of government in a democracy disregarded the will of its legislature by carrying on despite losing a vote of confidence.
The Labour party has thrown its weight behind Vaughan Gething and Keir Starmer has acted as his main cheerleader.
The ministers who resigned today are equally culpable, they should have acted far sooner than their eleventh hour intervention when it was a case of one bad headline too many.
Starmer might be surprised to see himself described as Gething’s main cheerleader. He did not take a public position during the Welsh leadership contest and, although he defended Gething on his visits to Wales during the election campaign, he never seemed particularly happy having to respond to questions about Gething’s campaign donations or his no confidence vote.
More than 1,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since Labour took office, PA Media reports. PA says:
Home Office figures show 427 people made the journey in seven boats on Monday, taking the provisional total for the year so far to 14,759.
It means the number of arrivals recorded since Keir Starmer became PM on July 5 now stands at 1,185.
The total for 2024 to date is 12% higher than the number recorded this time last year (13,200) and up 1% on the same period in 2022 (14,554), according to PA analysis of government data.
Last year, 29,437 migrants arrived in the UK after making the journey, down 36% on a record 45,774 in 2022.
This is what Mick Antoniw said in his letter to Vaughan Gething resigning as counsel general in the Welsh government.
Wales needs confident and stable government. I do not believe you are capable of delivering that.
You have lost a vote of confidence in the Senedd. That is something I regard as being of major constitutional importance.
It is clear that you no longer command a majority, that you will be unable to enter into the agreements necessary to pass a budget, and for all intents and purposes the Senedd is rudderless.
We are all here to do the best for our country. I believe it is now necessary for you to choose to put the country first and resign as first minister to allow an election for a new first minister and leader of Welsh Labour.
Lesley Griffiths, who was culture secretary, has posted her resignation letter on X. She said:
Yesterday we discussed my concerns about the circumstances surrounding certain campaign donations you received; the outcome of the vote of no confidence; and the sacking of a ministerial colleague for leaking when no formal leak inquiry had taken place.
In addition, I find it deeply distressing, from both personal and professional perspectives, to see the negative impact all of this has had on relationships between longstanding colleagues and, in many cases, close friends.
Relationships have fractured and will require goodwill and strong leadership to repair. These unfortunate and deeply saddening events have together impacted significantly on our ability to continue to deliver for the people of Wales.”
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.
I resign from the Welsh Government with a heavy heart. pic.twitter.com/O5QdxtQiCz
— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) July 16, 2024
And this is from Julie James, who resigned as housing secretary. She said:
I think [the leadership crisis] also now threatens the continued existence of the devolution journey itself.
We must begin to repair this damage immediately and I am extremely sorry to tell you that I do not think you are capable of being the leader who can lead us through that.
It is with great regret that I feel I can no longer serve in the Welsh Government. My letter to the @PrifWeinidog is below pic.twitter.com/nzF7F7MrAv
— Julie James MS (@JulieJamesMS) July 16, 2024
Welsh Labour government in crisis as four ministers quit demanding Vaughan Gething's resignation as first minister
The Labour government in Wales is in crisis. Four ministers have resigned saying they have no confidence in Vaughan Gething, the first minister who only took office in March. Last month Gething lost a confidence vote in the Senedd (although not one that required him to resign).
Jeremy Miles, the economic secretary, said in his resignation letter:
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 …
I can’t see any way forward for us which allows us to get on with job we are elected to do, without you standing down.
Serving in the Welsh Government has been an immense privilege and solemn responsibility.
— Jeremy Miles (@Jeremy_Miles) July 16, 2024
It is with deep sadness that I resign today. pic.twitter.com/QqhIDNNxqg
The other ministers who have resigned are Lesley Griffiths, the culture secretary, Julie James, the housing secretary, and Mick Antoniw, counsel general (the law officer).
BBC Wales has more on this on its live blog.
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Rayner says she expects Labour to make 'significant changes' to child poverty, as she defends stance on two-child benefit cap
In an interview on BBC Breakfast this morning Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, was repeatedly asked why Labour has not committed to abolishing the two-child benefit cap, which means families on benefits can lose more than £3,455 if they have a third child because benefits are only paid for the first two children. Jon Kay, the presenter, told Rayner she had previously described this rule as obscene and inhumane.
In response, Rayner said she was pleased that Labour is prioritising requiring primary schools to offer breakfast clubs. As someone who grew up in a poor family, she said she used to go to school hungry. She said the government would be using “not just one lever” to tackle child poverty.
She said what the Tories had done was “abhorrent”. But, using the line Labour stuck to before the election, she said Labour would only commit to policies when they knew how they could be funded.
However, she also said that the government would be reviewing universal credit. And she said she expected the government to make “significant changes” to child poverty. She said:
All I would say is look at what Labour’s history and what we do when we’re in government and as someone who grew up in poverty, I am not prepared to leave office after a Labour government where we haven’t made those significant changes and child poverty is an issue for us.
And we’re absolutely appalled that children haven’t got beds to sleep in at night. This is the 21st century, this shouldn’t be the situation we’re in but this is the inheritance that the Conservatives have left us and we will continue to tackle those issues.
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Sunder Katwala, who used to run a Labour thinktank and who is now director of British Future, a thinktank focusing on race and identity issues, has welcomed the Tory response (see 8.58am) to the JD Vance comment. Katwala has also described what Vance said as “basic crass prejudice”.
A very sensible response from @AndrewBowie_MP for the Conservatives on why the JD Vance remarks to National Cons on an Islamist UK Labour government are wrong, "offensive" after a democratic election + reflect the coarsening of political discourse that many are warning against. https://t.co/jCRfmzadoP
— Sunder Katwala (@sundersays) July 16, 2024
A very sensible response from @AndrewBowie_MP for the Conservatives on why the JD Vance remarks to National Cons on an Islamist UK Labour government are wrong, “offensive” after a democratic election + reflect the coarsening of political discourse that many are warning against.
James Murray, a Treasury minister, has also been giving interviews on behalf of the government this morning. When he was asked about JD Vance’s line about Britain becoming an Islamist country under Labour (see 8.42am) in an interview with Sky News, he repeatedly claimed he did not know what Vance meant by the comment (although he did also at one point say “we”, meaning the government presumably, disagreed with it).
Murray said:
I don’t really understand those comments …
I genuinely heard that comment, and I don’t know what [Vance] was driving at in that comment, to be honest. I mean, in Britain, we’re very proud of our diversity.
I’m very proud that we have a new government, I’m very proud that our Labour government is committed to national security and economic growth. I’m very clear where we are. I don’t really know how that comment fits in.
Trump's running mate says the UK is an Islamist country with nukes…
— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) July 16, 2024
What happened to the UK US special bond?
Here's Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury @jamesmurray_ldn#KayBurley FC pic.twitter.com/eOgfVCyUnt
In an interview with Times Radio, Murray also claimed he did not know what Vance meant by the “Islamist” comment.
As a line to take, this was a cop-out. Everyone else seems to know what the comment meant.
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Tory shadow minister says it was 'offensive' for JD Vance to say Britain could be become 'Islamist' country under Labour
Conservatives seem more willing this morning to criticise what JD Vance said about the UK (see 8.42am) than Labour politicians. Although the Tories are more aligned with US Republicans than Labour, this is not particularly surprising because Labour has to worry about diplomatic relations with a possible Trump administration while that is not something a Conservative leader is probably every going to have to worry about.
Angela Rayner found a polite way of saying she disagreed with Vance’s comment about the UK becoming an “Islamist” country. But Andrew Bowie, the new shadow veterans minister, has also been on an interview round this morning and he told Times Radio that the US senator was being offensive.
Asked if Labour was creating an “Islamist” country, Bowie said:
No, absolutely not. The Labour party, I disagree with the Labour party fundamentally on many issues, but I do not agree with that view. I think it’s actually quite offensive, frankly, to my colleagues in the Labour party.
They have just won the election. It’s now up to us to form an opposition. But we need to relearn how to disagree agreeably and have those full, frank disagreements out in public – but be able to do so with civility.
Angela Rayner suggests Trump's running mate JD Vance wrong to say Britain could become Islamist country under Labour
Good morning. Yesterday Donald Trump named the Ohio senator JD Vance as his vice presidential running mate and very quickly attention focused on what this might mean for the UK. David Lammy, the new foreign secretary, knows Vance quite well and has praised his memoir about growing up poor, Hillbilly Elegy (“These are themes in my own political story,” Lammy told Politico). But we have not heard yet what Lammy has to say about Vance telling the National Conservatism conference recently that, with Labour now in power, Britain could end up as “the first truly Islamist country” with a nuclear weapon.
Looking at the clip, it was clearly more of a joke rather than a prediction. But jokes can be provocative, dangerous and offensive, and they reveal a lot about what people think. Daniel Finkelstein, the Times columnist and Conservative party peer, has described this as an “outrageous racist comment”.
We have not heard Lammy’s response, but Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has been giving interviews this morning and on ITV’s Good Morning Britain she said that Vance was wrong about the UK. Asked how she felt about his description of the Labour in this comment, she replied:
Well, I think he said quite a lot of fruity things in the past as well. Look, I don’t recognize that characterisation. I’m very proud of the election success that Labour had recently. We won votes across all different communities, across the whole of the country. And we’re interested in governing on behalf of Britain and also working with our international allies.
So I look forward to that meeting [with Vance] if that is the result [ie if Trump wins]. It’s up to the American people to decide.
Rayner also said that US was a key ally for the UK, that it was for the American people to decide who they wanted as president and vice president, and that whoever they elected, “we will work with them, of course we will”.
I will post more from her interviews shortly.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer chairs cabinet.
11.30am: The Commons sits so that MPs who have not yet taken the oath can do so.
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