Vaughan Gething has announced he is quitting as Welsh First Minister after four members of his government resigned and demanded he left office.
In a statement on Tuesday morning, Mr Gething said he had “taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down”, and will now discuss a timetable for the election of his successor.
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Mr Gething lost a vote of no confidence last month following rows over his decision to sack former minister Hannah Blythyn and questions about donations he took while running to be Welsh Labour leader – resulting in Labour’s co-operation deal in the Senedd with Plaid Cymru collapsing.
Having only been elected in March, Mr Gething said in his statement that he had hoped “over the summer a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal could take place under my leadership”.
“I recognise now that this is not possible”, he added.
“It has been the honour of my life to do this job even for a few short months.”
He denied any wrongdoing, saying: “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.”
Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies said Labour figures “all the way up to Keir Starmer” were “culpable for the breakdown of governance in Wales”.
He called Mr Gething’s resignation “long overdue”, adding: “There can be no doubt that his Labour colleagues, from those who resigned today all the way up to Keir Starmer, have stood by his side and are culpable for the breakdown of governance in Wales.
“Wales will remember.”
Gething’s leadership dogged by scandal
Earlier this morning Mick Antoniw, Julie James, Lesley Griffiths and Jeremy Miles all quit their cabinet positions, telling Mr Gething they cannot get on with their jobs “without you standing down”.
Mr Gething made history in March when he became the first black leader of any European country, succeeding Mark Drakeford as the First Minster of Wales.
However, questions over a £200,000 donation to his Labour leadership campaign dogged him from the moment he took office, while a row over a leaked phone message which led to him sacking one of his ministers and Plaid Cymru’s withdrawal of support for his government added to the sense of chaos.
The donation was from the Dauson Environmental Group, which is owned by David Neal, who has previously been convicted of environmental offences.
Critics said Mr Gething’s leadership campaign should not have accepted the money, but the first minister said the donation was within the rules and was declared in line with party protocol.
He refused calls for an inquiry into the donation, but instead commissioned a wider review into political donations.
Mr Gething also faced criticism for the sacking of social partnership minister Ms Blythyn over the alleged leak of messages relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The news website Nation.Cyrmu has denied that she was the source of the leaked messages, which showed Mr Gething claiming he would delete all correspondence from an iMessage group of Welsh ministers.
This all led to the collapse of a co-operation agreement between his party and Plaid Cymru and he subsequently lost a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Senedd (Welsh parliament) 29-27.
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Mr Gething said the motion was a “gimmick” and that opposition parties had declined to take part in a pairing arrangement to balance out the votes of two Labour members who were unwell.
However, the resignations of four ministers today put his position in further peril.
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Mr Miles, who quit as economy secretary, told Mr Gething: “The events of the last few months including your loss of the confidence vote in the Senedd, have been incredibly painful.
“It’s essential that we begin to repair the damage immediately, and I have reached the conclusion very regrettably that this cannot happen under your leadership.”
Ms James, who quit as housing secretary, told the first minister she feared that Welsh devolution would be at risk if he continued in the role.
Ms Griffiths, who resigned as culture secretary, said: “I have reached the conclusion that we simply will not be able to put things back on track under your leadership, leaving me with only one realistic option at this point.”
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