Vaughan Gething says he tried to unite party but his election as leader wasn't accepted

• When asked whether he would do anything differently, Vaughan Gething seemed to respond to his critics by insisting he had always tried to "think through" the possible outcomes of his decisions, but accepted "it hasn't worked out."

Outgoing First Minister Vaughan Gething has said that he tried to keep his party together but people "have not been prepared" to accept his election as leader.

In his first interview since quitting as Welsh Labour leader and First Minister this week, Mr Gething told the BBC he had done everything he can to be "kind" and "generous" to other people.

When asked if he had done enough to bring Welsh Labour together, he said he had "deliberately" brought people into government from different wings of his party to help them "stay united."

Speaking on Thursday, he said: "I haven't gone out of my way to pick fights with people. I have tried to do the right thing for other people and for the country."

He later added: "People have not been prepared to accept the membership result with me as the leader and in less than four months its not possible for me to continue."

Mr Gething said he will continue to conduct himself with "dignity" for as long as it takes to elect a new leader.

He was also questioned about whether he would have done anything differently in hindsight – including his decision to sack former minister Hannah Blythyn and his choice to accept controversial donations while running to be Welsh Labour leader.

He insisted he had always tried to "think through" the possible outcomes of everything, but accepted "it hasn't worked out."

When asked if it had been a tough week, he said, "of course."

Mr Gething added: "If you want to lead your country, you have to go through a number of difficult things to get there."

The First Minister has come under sustained criticism in recent months for his decision to sack former minister Hannah Blythyn over alleged leaking to the media, which she denied, and over a series of rows concerning donations he took while running to be Welsh Labour leader.

This led to the collapse of a co-operation agreement between his party and Plaid Cymru, and he subsequently lost a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Senedd.

This came to a head when four members of his government – Jeremy Miles, Mick Antoniw, Julie James and Lesley Griffiths – quit their roles this week.

All four cited their decisions around a lack of confidence in Vaughan Gething to continue as First Minister.

Vaughan Gething announced on Tuesday this week that he will “begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour Party and, as a result, First Minister.”

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