Welsh Labour set for leadership vote change

The debate over how Carwyn Jones' successor will be elected reaches key stage. Credit: PA

Welsh Labour is set to change the system used to elect the party's next leader.

The current electoral college made up of elected members, party members and unions has been widely criticised with party grandee Lord Murphy offering two potential alternatives. The first is to retain the electoral college but scrap the section for MPs, AMs and MEPs. Instead it's split 50/50 between members and the unions. The second proposal is OMOV+ (one member one vote) similar to how Jeremy Corbyn was elected UK leader in 2015. It gives a vote to members and union members that pay the political levy to decide on the winner.

Both will be put to a special conference held in Cardiff where unions and constituency party delegates will decide which system will elect Carwyn Jones' successor. There are two confirmed candidates, Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford and Health Secretary Vaughan Gething. Mr Drakeford is widely regarded as the favourite but insiders have suggested Mr Gething might stand a chance under the first option due to his union links as former President of the Wales TUC.

Speaking last week former minister Jane Hutt AM was hopeful OMOV would be passed:

I understand Lord Murphy came under pressure from some within the party to change the nomination process too - allowing MPs to also nominate candidates. But this was rejected and will be examined in the second part of his democracy review.