2024 Welsh government crisis

Gething's rise to power Vaughan Gething became First Minister of Wales on 20 March 2024 following his victory in the February–March 2024 Welsh Labour leadership election, succeeding Mark Drakeford who had announced his resignation in December 2023. Gething won the leadership contest by a narrow margin of 51.7% to 48.3% against his main rival Jeremy Miles, with a low overall turnout of 16.1%. Miles claimed he was unfairly blocked from the union nomination, with an unnamed Unite official describing Gething's nomination as a "shocking mess". The Neal donation controversy The most significant early controversy arose during Gething's leadership campaign when it was revealed in February 2024 that he had received a campaign donation of £200,000 from David John Neal, a businessman who had previously been convicted twice of environmental offences as head of two companies, Atlantic Recycling and Neal Soil Suppliers. The donation came from Dauson Environmental Group in two instalments of £100,000 each in December 2023 and January 2024. The donation immediately drew criticism from within Welsh Labour, with Lee Waters, who had supported Jeremy Miles in the leadership contest, describing it as "completely unjustifiable and wrong". This revelation raised questions about potential conflicts of interest, particularly as former Welsh Government minister Leighton Andrews called the donations "damaging devolution" and urged Gething to return the money. Further concerns emerged in April 2024 when it was revealed that companies owned by Neal had received "huge" loans from the Development Bank of Wales, including a £400,000 loan made in February 2023 to fund the purchase of a solar farm. The Development Bank fell under Gething's remit as economy minister during his time in the post from May 2021 to March 2024. This raised concerns that money lent by the Development Bank of Wales may have effectively ended up being donated to Gething's leadership campaign. The COVID-19 messages controversy was removed from her role as Minister for Social Partnership, after Gethin alleged that she was the leak of the text messages During the inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic response, Gething stated that he had not deliberately deleted any messages from his phone. However, on 7 May 2024, Nation.Cymru obtained text messages from Gething in a Welsh Government group chat, in which he said "I'm deleting the messages in this group. They can be captured in an FOI [Freedom of Information request] and I think we are all in the right place on the choice being made." A few days later, Gething removed Hannah Blythyn from her role as Minister for Social Partnership, alleging that she was the leak of the text messages. Blythyn denied this; she was replaced by Sarah Murphy on 17 May. Breakdown of the co-operation agreement On 17 May 2024, Rhun ap Iorwerth announced that Plaid Cymru had withdrawn from the co-operation agreement with Welsh Labour, six months earlier than intended. Ap Iorwerth stated: "I remain deeply concerned that the First Minister has failed to pay back the £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a company convicted of environmental offences, and believe it demonstrates a significant lack of judgment." This withdrawal left Gething leading a minority administration, weakening his position significantly and making it much more difficult to pass legislation. == Government crisis and resignation ==

The vote of no confidence On 5 June 2024, after just 78 days as First Minister, Gething faced a non-binding vote of no-confidence in him as First Minister, tabled by the Welsh Conservatives led by Andrew RT Davies. With Welsh Labour holding 30 of the 60 Senedd seats and Plaid Cymru having withdrawn from their co-operation agreement, the outcome depended on Labour attendance. Gething lost the vote by a margin of 29 votes to 27. The remaining 27 Labour MSs who were present voted against the motion. Neither the Presiding Officer of the Senedd nor the Deputy Presiding Officer participated in the vote, as is standard practice. Prior to the vote, Gething and his allies dismissed the no-confidence motion as a "transparent gimmick". During the debate, Gething became visibly emotional, wiping tears from his eyes as Labour MS Vikki Howells spoke in his defence. Rebecca Evans passed him a tissue, and he was observed drinking water as he "composed himself". During the debate, Gething told the Senedd: "I am human, I am fallible... It hurts deeply when my intentions are questioned." Continued leadership and mounting pressure Despite losing the no-confidence vote, Gething announced on 8 June that he would not resign as First Minister. Under the Government of Wales Act 2006, Gething was legally entitled to remain in post as there is only a requirement to resign following a vote of no confidence in the whole government, not specifically in the First Minister. The resignations began with Mick Antoniw, the Counsel General for Wales, who accused Gething of providing "rudderless" leadership. Antoniw stated: "Wales needs confident and stable government. I do not believe you are capable of delivering that... You have lost a vote of confidence in the Senedd. That is something I regard as being of major constitutional importance." In a 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." In conclusion to his statement, Gething maintained his innocence, describing allegations against him as "pernicious, politically motivated and patently untrue". He stated: "In 11 years as a minister, I have never ever made a decision for personal gain... My integrity matters. I have not compromised it." However, political opponents, including Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, firmly rejected any suggestion of racism in their scrutiny of Gething's actions and judgment. Immediate aftermath and leadership succession Gething's resignation, announced 118 days into his tenure, made him the shortest-serving First Minister in the 25-year history of Welsh devolution, surpassing the previous record held by Alun Michael. On 24 July 2024, Eluned Morgan was elected unopposed as Welsh Labour leader after receiving support from at least 26 of the 30 Labour MSs, including former First Minister Mark Drakeford and former leadership candidate Jeremy Miles. On 6 August 2024, Morgan was appointed by the Senedd as First Minister of Wales, with Gething formally resigning to the King on 5 August. Morgan announced the members of her government later that day, including Huw Irranca-Davies as Deputy First Minister. == Reactions ==

Government and Labour Party reactions Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a statement thanking Gething for his service, highlighting his historic achievement as the first black leader of a European country. Starmer stated: "Vaughan should take enormous pride in being the first black leader of any country in Europe. That achievement will have broadened the ambitions and raised the gaze of a generation of young people in Wales and beyond. I know what a difficult decision this has been for him – but I also know that he has made it because he feels it is the best decision now for Wales." Former First Minister Mark Drakeford, Gething's immediate predecessor, commented on his successor's brief tenure. Speaking to ITV Wales, Drakeford stated: "I thought Vaughan deserved much better. I think he was well prepared to be a First Minister." Drakeford described looking back on Gething's tenure "with a great deal of sadness". Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens responded, stating: "I want to thank Vaughan for his service as First Minister and in his other ministerial roles over the past eleven years. It is now for Welsh Labour to determine his successor. The people of Wales voted for a UK Labour government to deliver change. That remains my absolute focus." Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth called for broader political change in Wales, including a snap Senedd election. Ap Iorwerth stated: "The people of Wales have lost faith in the First Minister, belatedly he has done the right thing and resigned. But the people of Wales are losing confidence in Labour's ability to govern Wales... This could be the third Labour first minister in seven months – a revolving door of chaos. Labour has put party interests ahead of the interests of the nation for too long. The people of Wales must be given the opportunity to elect a new government and an election must be called." Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds similarly called for an early election to restore public confidence in Welsh governance. Analysis and commentary Political commentators noted broader implications for the Labour Party. The crisis occurred just two weeks after Keir Starmer's Labour victory in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, with analysts describing it as "a blow to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his new Labour administration". ITV Cymru Wales Political Editor Adrian Masters observed the unprecedented nature of the crisis within Welsh Labour. Masters noted: "In the decades that I've been covering Welsh politics there has been one truism: Welsh Labour keeps most of its differences behind closed doors and unites in public. Not today." He argued that "Differences and division have spilled out into the open and no amount of warm words about unity can disguise those differences", describing the divisions as "the deepest and most public that they've been for 25 years". The crisis highlighted the role of investigative journalism in Welsh politics. Veteran political reporter Martin Shipton of Nation.Cymru, who reported extensively on the donations scandal, was later awarded Journalist of the Year for his coverage. Industry observers praised the role of "serious journalism" and "sustained media scrutiny by dedicated journalists holding public officials to account" in exposing the scandal. ==See also==