When Vaughan Gething was elected Labour leader in Wales not four months ago, making him the first black head of government in Europe, it was hailed as a historic moment. But his brief time at the helm of the devolved Welsh government has been overshadowed by controversy.
In his resignation statement, Gething said he had hoped the summer would have provided a “period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal” under his leadership, but when four ministers quit his team on Tuesday, he recognised that this would not be possible.
The Welsh politician had a turbulent time as first minister, although much of that appeared to have been of his own making, with controversy over his future destabilising Welsh Labour despite the UK party’s landslide victory this month.
He faced a vote of no confidence in June, called by the Conservatives over £200,000 of donations made to his leadership campaign by a company owned by a man previously convicted of environmental offences.
He also came under pressure over the sacking of Hannah Blythyn from her ministerial role, alleging she leaked messages that appeared to show he had advocated deleting texts and WhatsApps during the Covid pandemic.
It all led to bad blood in the Welsh Labour party. Jeremy Miles, who narrowly lost this year’s leadership contest to Gething and was one of those ministers who quit, warned the ongoing row was damaging the Welsh government.
“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,” he wrote in his own resignation letter.
“I can’t see any way forward for us which allows us to get on with the job we are elected to do, without you standing down.” His call was backed by three other Welsh ministers.
The UK Labour party will be relieved it can now draw a line under Gething’s troubled leadership and will hope the Welsh party can move into calmer waters with a quick leadership election over the summer and, potentially, a unity candidate taking over.
The veteran Labour politician Huw Irranca-Davies, who was an MP before moving to the Senedd, is one of the names talked about from the 30-strong group in Cardiff.
“We can’t have people constantly falling out with each other,” one Labour insider said. “It’s better to get the contest done quickly and hope it all calms down. This has all been an unwelcome distraction.”
Yet Keir Starmer may still face questions over his support for Gething. He had an uneasy relationship with Gething’s predecessor, Mark Drakeford, who was more closely aligned with the Corbynite wing of the party, and there was speculation the Labour leader was behind Drakeford’s surprise resignation.
At the time, Starmer admitted he “can’t pretend” there were not challenges in his relationship with the Welsh Labour government. But he insisted they could be dealt with, contrasting it with the constant conflict between Cardiff and Conservative-run Westminster.
Starmer also defended Gething over the non-binding no confidence vote, and said during the election campaign that he was doing a “very good job” and insisted he was proud of the party’s record in Wales despite the controversies.
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.
