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| Vaughan Gething resigns as first minister of Wales | Vaughan Gething resigns as first minister of Wales |
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| Resignation comes after four Welsh ministers stepped down in apparent attempt to force his hand | Resignation comes after four Welsh ministers stepped down in apparent attempt to force his hand |
| Vaughan Gething has announced he is to resign as first minister of Wales after months of turbulence in the Senedd. | |
| His resignation comes after four Welsh ministers stepped down from their posts in an apparently calculated move to force his hand. | His resignation comes after four Welsh ministers stepped down from their posts in an apparently calculated move to force his hand. |
| Gething, 50, the first Black leader of a European country, refused to resign in June despite losing a vote of no confidence. He took up the role in March. | |
| The Senedd vote was called by the Conservatives over £200,000 of donations made to Gething’s leadership campaign by a company owned by a man previously convicted of environmental offences. | The Senedd vote was called by the Conservatives over £200,000 of donations made to Gething’s leadership campaign by a company owned by a man previously convicted of environmental offences. |
| The Labour first minister has also come under pressure over the sacking of Hannah Blythyn from her role as the minister for social partnership, alleging she was the leak of text messages that appeared to show he had advocated deleting messages during the Covid pandemic. | |
| Before Gething’s resignation, he faced another potentially damaging vote in the Senedd on Wednesday after the Welsh Conservatives tabled a motion to try to compel him to publish the evidence he used to sack Blythyn. | Before Gething’s resignation, he faced another potentially damaging vote in the Senedd on Wednesday after the Welsh Conservatives tabled a motion to try to compel him to publish the evidence he used to sack Blythyn. |
| Announcing his plans to step down in a lengthy statement he said: “I have this morning taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour party and, as a result, first minister. Having been elected as leader of my party in March, I had hoped that over the summer a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal could take place under my leadership. | |
| “I recognise now that this is not possible.” | |
| After thanking those who supported him, Gething hit out at his critics. “A growing assertion that some kind of wrongdoing has taken place has been pernicious, politically motivated and patently untrue,” he said. “In 11 years as a minister, I have never ever made a decision for personal gain. I have never ever misused or abused my ministerial responsibilities. | |
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| “My integrity matters. I have not compromised it. I regret that the burden of proof is no longer an important commodity in the language of our politics. I do hope that can change.” | |
| He said he would set out a timetable for the election of new leader of the Labour party. |