Eluned Morgan giving 'serious consideration' to run as leader of Wales

Eluned Morgan says she is “giving serious consideration” to standing in the contest to become leader of Welsh Labour and so the next First Minister of Wales.

At the same time she's won the support of the man considered to be most likely to have stood against her, Jeremy Miles, who's not now putting himself forward.

It suggests that Eluned Morgan could be the only candidate in the leadership election to replace Vaughan Gething.

Mr Miles says that her leadership would "enable us all to move forward."

The Health Secretary says that if she does stand, it will be on a joint ticket with Huw Irranca-Davies in a bid to restore unity to the divided Labour group in the Senedd.

Speaking to me on Sunday morning, Eluned Morgan said: “I’ve had a huge amount of encouragement to stand from all factions of the party, but if I were to stand, it will be on a joint ticket with Huw Irranca-Davies as a deputy minister… so he will be working with me.

“And the whole point of that is to have somebody who's supported Jeremy Miles in the previous leadership election, demonstrating right from the beginning, that we are absolutely focused on uniting the group but then immediately refocusing on the things that matter to the people of Wales.

“We've taken our eyes off that ball in the past few weeks, and we need to refocus on the things that matter to the people of Wales.”

Under a timetable announced by Welsh Labour yesterday, candidates have until this coming Wednesday (July 24) to gain the necessary nominations to be able to stand.

Any candidate has to win the support of at least five other MSs to qualify. It now seems unlikely that any other candidate will be able to pick up that number.

But Eluned Morgan says that she would welcome a contest, rather than what’s known as a “coronation” where one candidate is elected unopposed.

She said: “I’m very happy for there to be a contest that does give the opportunity for members of the party to have their say, and it gives an opportunity for the contenders to set out their stall.

“Let's see what happens in the next few days - nominations don't close until Wednesday, they were only properly opened late last night. So, there is an opportunity for many people to put their names forward. But let's see what happens in the next few days.”

One potential opponent has become a supporter. Jeremy Miles said in a statement: “I hope Eluned becomes our leader - her leadership would enable us all to move forward, united in delivering the vision of the Welsh Labour government.

"Eluned is a friend as well as a valued colleague. She has stood up for the interests of Wales in the Senedd but also in Europe, and Westminster.

“The values she champions - of fairness, prosperity for all, a greener future and a strong devolution settlement - are ones which I passionately share. Welsh Labour under Eluned would reach out and represent all parts of our nation.

"On a personal note, I’m really grateful to so many people for the encouragement to stand in this election.

"I have always put the interests of our country and party first, and I am absolutely certain that Eluned is best placed to take the country and party forward."

It was Mr Miles’ resignation as Economy Secretary along with three other cabinet colleagues that led to Mr Gething’s own resignation just over an hour later.

I understand that, although he thought he was able to count on enough support not just to stand but to win a leadership election, he believed that the interests of the government and the party outweighed his own considerations.

A source close to Jeremy Miles said: “Jeremy is clear that the events of last week, however difficult, were necessary. A new leader brings an essential opportunity to bring people together.

“Moving forward, he spoke to friends and supporters across Welsh Labour, and made the decision not to run over the week. He then reached out to Eluned Morgan to tell her he would support her bid for leader.

“Jeremy’s team concluded that an election was likely winnable. His base in the party - which gained near half of the votes of all members and trade union voters just four months ago - remains solid. However, the greater interests of the government and the party outweighed the individual considerations.

“As he said last time, “leadership is about the ‘we’ not the ‘I’.”

Eluned Morgan has been in charge of health since 2021 first as Health Minister under Mark Drakeford, then as Health Secretary under Vaughan Gething.

She’s also a member of the House of Lords as Baroness Morgan of Ely, and before she became a Senedd Member was a Shadow Minister and a Labour Party whip in the upper chamber.

Before that she was a Member of the European Parliament for 15 years.

She stood in the 2018 Labour leadership election which Mark Drakeford won but decided against standing in the contest which saw Vaughan Gething take the top job.

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.

The timetable for the contest was set out by Welsh Labour following a series of special meetings on Saturday.

Under that timetable, a new leader will be announced on Saturday 14th September.

There’s due to be a hustings period from 20th August while voting by post will take place for three weeks from 22nd August.

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

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

Plaid Cymru has been calling for a “The next leader of the Labour party in Wales was always likely to be a Minister who has overseen the decline in either health outcomes or educational standards.

Wales’ future success cannot be left to those too wedded to old thinking and failed ideas.

The people of Wales want an injection of hope and can do attitude from a new government which is relentlessly focused on putting Wales before the interests of Westminster.

Wales needs to break the cycle of Labour’s revolving door of First Ministers who have no direct mandate from voters”.

Plaid Cymru says that the prospect of a third Labour First Minister in a year means that there should be a Senedd Election. The next vote is scheduled for May 2026.

The party's leader Rhun ap Iorwerth says that, “The next leader of the Labour party in Wales was always likely to be a Minister who has overseen the decline in either health outcomes or educational standards.

"Wales’ future success cannot be left to those too wedded to old thinking and failed ideas."The people of Wales want an injection of hope and can do attitude from a new government which is relentlessly focused on putting Wales before the interests of Westminster."Wales needs to break the cycle of Labour’s revolving door of First Ministers who have no direct mandate from voters."

But in her interview with me, Eluned Morgan dismissed calls for a snap election, saying that "I don't think there's an appetite amongst the public for another election. We've just been through one. So that is not something that I would be supporting.

"I don't think the public would want just to have a [Senedd] election knowing that there's going to be a Welsh general election effectively in 18 months time. We have a mandate from the last election. This is the way that things work in our country. It's not the first time it's happened.

"This is an opportunity for us though to reset and get ready for putting our case to the nation in what will be a very, very different election next time."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...