Welsh Labour prepares to crown new chief after ‘sew up’

Eluned Morgan has been named the new leader of Welsh Labour and First Minister apparent of Wales today after the party did a deal to avoid a damaging public fight.

She will replace Vaughan Gething, who announced his resignation last week after a torrid four months in office, featuring rows over donation from a convicted eco-criminal and a minister sacked over a leak of embarrassing WhatsApp messages.

He quit after a revolt by senior Labour ministers, having refused to resign after losing a confidence vote in June.  

Baroness Morgan, 57, the current Welsh health minister, was the only contender to be the Welsh Labour Party’s new leader when nominations closed at noon. 

She ran on a ‘unity’ ticket with rural affairs minister Huw Irranca-Davies, who is set to  become deputy first minister.

She has been handed the backing of Jeremy Miles, who stood against Mr Gething in February and who was seen as a frontrunner to replace him. But that could have led to a leadership battle that could have led to more internecine political fighting. 

Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies congratulated Baroness Morgan on her appointment as Wales’s first female leader, adding: ‘The Baroness has picked up the crown at the coronation, with Prince Charming as her deputy.

Baroness Morgan, 57, the current Welsh health minister, is the only contender to be the Welsh Labour Party’s new leader, with nominations closing at noon.

She will replace Vaughan Gething, who announced his resignation last week after a torrid four months in office, featuring rows over donation from a convicted eco-criminal and a minister sacked over a leak of embarrassing WhatsApp messages.

‘Eluned Morgan has presided over the worst Welsh NHS waiting lists on record, so the question must be asked, is this really the best that Labour can do?’

Baroness Morgan can only become First Minister via a vote in the Senedd. The Welsh parliament is currently on recess until September, and it would need to be recalled for her to take over sooner.

Welsh Conservatives have already said they will be asking for a recall.

But Plaid Cymru has repeatedly called for a snap election with party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth insisting that Baroness Morgan’s leadership will be ‘more of the same’.

He said: ‘Eluned Morgan will today become the third Labour leader in Wales in three months.

‘She knows that for Welsh Government to have legitimacy in such circumstances, a fresh election is needed, as Labour themselves called for when both UK and Scottish governments went through successive leadership changes.

‘But they won’t allow an election, and will do all they can, including teaming up with the Conservatives, to stop that happening, it seems.’

Mr RT Davies has previously branded calls for a snap Senedd election ‘hot-headed’.

If an election were held, Senedd rules mean another one would have to be held in 2026.

Labour’s ruling body had originally set a timeline of having a new Labour leader in place on September 14, with them taking over as first minister on September 18.

Baroness Morgan has won the support of the majority of the Labour group, with few MSs, including Hannah Blythyn and outgoing First Minister Vaughan Gething not having indicated support for anyone.

Lee Waters, the MS for Llanelli, has declined to nominate anyone.

Baroness Morgan has been the Senedd member for Mid and West Wales since 2016 and a peer in the House of Lords since 2011.

She is currently listed as being on a leave of absence in the Lords.

From 1994 to 2009 Baroness Morgan was a member of the European Parliament.

Baroness Morgan has promoted herself as a ‘unity candidate’, with the Labour group having become fractured in recent months following a series of rows involving Mr Gething and donations he took during the last leadership election earlier this year.

The race to replace the First Minister began after four members of his government quit en masse last week, criticising his leadership.

Mr Gething then announced he was standing down having only taken over as leader in March.

During the last leadership race Mr Gething took a £200,000 donation for his leadership campaign from a company owned by a man twice convicted of environmental offences, which led to some members of his own party criticising his judgement.

Last month Mr Gething lost a vote of no confidence in the Senedd, after rows over the donation, and his decision to sack Delyn MS Ms Blythyn as a minister.

All the other potential candidates who were expected to run in the Labour leadership race have announced their support for Baroness Morgan.

This includes Jeremy Miles, who ran against Mr Gething in the last leadership race and was one of the four people to quit his government last week.

Mr Miles made a surprise move by becoming the first person to publicly endorse Baroness Morgan on Sunday before she had officially announced her candidacy.