New Welsh Labour leader says ‘last few weeks have not been acceptable’

The new leader of Welsh Labour has acknowledged “the last few weeks have not been acceptable” from her party, as she takes over from First Minister Vaughan Gething.

Eluned Morgan, 57, became the Welsh Labour Party leader on Wednesday, the first woman to hold the role, after no other Senedd members entered the race.

She will replace the outgoing first minister, Mr Gething, who announced his resignation last week after a torrid four months in office, featuring rows over donations and a sacked minister.

In her first interview with journalists after becoming Welsh Labour leader, Baroness Morgan appeared to criticise Mr Gething’s time in office, saying recent weeks have been difficult for Labour in Wales.

Speaking to broadcasters, she said: “It has been a difficult time for us all, but I think there’s a real appetite to come together.

“The very fact that we’ve managed to collect quite so many of the Senedd members’ nominations tells you that.

“We’ve been through a difficult time, we’re now looking to the future.

“It’s not just members of the Senedd, the trade union movement have come behind this and people across the nation have been very grateful that this is the new direction of travel.”

Baroness Morgan received the support of the vast majority of the Labour members of the Senedd, including former first minister Mark Drakeford and previous leadership contender Jeremy Miles.

She added: “I don’t think it’s been a pretty picture in the last few weeks, I think we’ve got to ‘fess up and accept that’s the situation.

“We know that the last few weeks have not been acceptable.”

Speaking to the PA news agency, she insisted there were not any “machinations” behind the scenes to ensure that she and her running mate, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, were the only candidates.

She said: “Huw and I put our names forward, and then other people decided not to put their names forward.

“I think people did so for the right reasons, they recognised now was the time to come together.”

Baroness Morgan said she has spoken to Mr Gething “to recognise his service to the country and to thank him for his work.”

Mr Gething posted on X, formerly Twitter, his congratulations to Baroness Morgan after she was announced to replace him.

It is not currently clear when Baroness Morgan will take over as first minister, with a vote needed in the Senedd to confirm her appointment.

The Senedd is currently on recess and would have to be recalled for members to vote.

Members are able to vote remotely, but only if they are in the UK.

She said: “This is out of my control, in the sense that it’s the current first minister who determines that in co-ordination with the Presiding Officer.

“I’m sure conversations will happen very soon.”

Baroness Morgan also spoke of how proud she was to be the first woman to lead Welsh Labour, hoping it will inspire others.

“I feel really proud, not for myself, but for all the women in Wales, I think this is time to celebrate,” she said.

“It’s the 21st century, it’s high time we had a woman lead, not for me, but really to inspire women to let them believe that it is possible for them.”

“There were some young girls here earlier, young children, they were looking at an example of something they’ve never been able to see before.”

She added that it was time the Labour Party “took women leadership seriously”.

While Baroness Morgan has had the support of her colleagues, opponents in the Senedd have criticised her record as health minister, a role she has held since 2021.

She has overseen the latter period of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as record NHS waiting lists.

While she acknowledged the NHS was “challenged in Wales”, she also insisted “the vast majority of people are getting excellent service”.

She said: “We also have contact with two million people a month in a population of three million.

“That is a huge amount of work that’s going on.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed Baroness Morgan’s victory, calling it “fantastic news for Wales and the Labour Party”.

He said: “Eluned brings with her a wealth of experience and track record of delivery, and as the first woman to lead Welsh Labour, she is already making history.”

Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies welcomed Baroness Morgan likely becoming the first female first minister.

However, he added: “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?

“If her lack of delivery in Wales’ NHS is replicated across the Welsh economy and education system then Wales is going to be a lot worse off in the future.”

Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth was similarly damning, saying the public was “crying out for more ambitious, more competent, and more effective leadership”.

He said: “I congratulate Eluned Morgan on becoming leader of Labour in Wales.

“The fact that she is the third leader in three months speaks volumes about the turmoil at the heart of the governing party.”

The appointment of Baroness Morgan as leader is a significant departure from the timeline originally set out by Welsh Labour.

Initially, the party planned to have a new leader in place on September 14, with them taking over as first minister on September 18.

The race to replace Mr Gething as first minister began after four members of his government quit en masse last week, criticising his leadership.

He then announced he was standing down, having taken over as leader only in March.

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

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 Hannah Blythyn as a minister.

All the other potential candidates who were expected to run in the Labour leadership race threw their support behind 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 the 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.