Labour sets out timetable for choosing Vaughan Gething successor

The new leader of Welsh Labour, who will almost certainly be the next First Minister, will be announced on September 14.

Senior party figures set out the timetable for a leadership election after holding a special meeting on Saturday evening.

But Welsh Labour has been criticised by opponents of “putting party before country” with the Conservatives saying that it’s “taking chunks out of itself” and Plaid Cymru saying that there should be an early Senedd election.

It’s a shorter timetable than for the contest which Vaughan Gething won earlier this year.

Nominations for candidates from Senedd members will close at midday this coming Wednesday (24th July).

There’ll be a hustings period from August 20 while voting by post will take place for three weeks from August 22.

The Senedd returns from Summer recess on September 16, meaning that Vaughan Gething will lead his final First Minister’s Questions on Tuesday, September 17.

The election of a new First Minister is due to take place on Wednesday, September 18.

The leadership vote has been triggered by Vaughan Gething’s decision to stand down following months of turmoil focussing on donations to his leadership campaign and the sacking of a minister, Hannah Blythyn, for leaking to the media, an accusation that she denies.

Mr Gething had continued in post despite losing a confidence vote in the Senedd but it was internal criticism rather than opposition pressure which finally forced him to quit.

On Tuesday, four cabinet members quit, telling him in their resignation letters that they could not serve under his leadership and that a new leader should be elected.

Members of the party’s Welsh Executive Committee met Saturday morning to kick-start the Labour leadership election by appointing a Procedures committee which then set out the terms and the timetable of the vote.

The qualification to be a candidate is the same as it was in the contest to replace Mark Drakeford: candidates must be Senedd members and to have won nominations from either five other MSs or three MSs and three party affiliates such as Trades Unions.

Each of the local Labour groups (CLPs) and affiliated organisations will be given opportunity to nominate and to hold hustings to question the candidates.

Three weeks has been allotted to the voting itself which takes place by post.

In the meantime those who would like to take over from Vaughan Gething are spending the weekend taking soundings.

Almost certain to be on the ballot is Jeremy Miles, the former Economy Minister who narrowly missed out in the last leadership election. He’s said to have enough support to stand and is expected to make an announcement next week.

Health Secretary Eluned Morgan didn’t stand in the last contest and threw her weight behind Vaughan Gething. She too is being encouraged to put her name forward.

Other names being mentioned are Rural Affairs Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies and Transport Secretary Ken Skates.

Opposition parties have been critical of the situation.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said that: "With Labour’s infighting set to continue and Vaughan Gething not able to fill the seats in his ‘caretaker cabinet’, it’s the people of Wales who will continue to suffer, as Labour continue to take Wales for granted.

"Keir Starmer promised a ‘new’ style of Government if Labour were elected on July 4, but by backing Vaughan Gething, Keir Starmer’s judgement as well as his actions make this promise worthless.

"Welsh Labour clearly still cling onto the belief of party before country, and it remains to be seen whether this shrunken Cabinet will be any worse than a full Welsh Labour Government. But while the Labour Party might be busy taking chunks out of itself, as it has been for the last few months, the people of Wales deserve some clarity on when they will get a new First Minister."

Plaid Cymru is calling for an early Senedd election. The party’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said that, “It’s blatant hypocrisy for Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner, and Anas Sarwar to call for an election under similar circumstances at Westminster and Holyrood and yet continue with a ‘nothing to see here’ approach in Cardiff Bay.

“Labour is all too happy to put party before country in expecting the people of Wales to put up with a revolving door of Labour First Ministers while the Tories are too scared of their own electoral prospects to call for an election.

“The Labour Welsh government is too distracted by its own members briefing against one another to get to grips with the matters that concern the people of Wales and unwilling to stand up to Keir Starmer who is intent on stifling Wales’s ambitions.”

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