Vaughan Gething, former health minister of Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic, has announced his candidacy for the Welsh Labour leadership race. He is the first candidate to officially declare, and has secured five votes from Labour Members of the Senedd, including ministers Rebecca Evans, Dawn Bowden, and Lynne Neagle. Gething has emphasized the importance of a united and diverse Labour party in Wales, and hopes to set out an energetic agenda for the future of the country alongside a potential government led by Education Minister Jeremy Miles. Miles is expected to declare his candidacy in the coming days.
Gething was the runner-up in the previous Welsh Labour leadership election in 2018, losing to current leader Mark Drakeford. However, after the recent Welsh Parliament election in 2021, Drakeford moved Gething from the health portfolio to economy. Currently, candidates for the leadership race need either five other votes from MSs, three votes with backing from local Labour parties or affiliate organizations like trade unions, or backing from two trade unions.
Climate Change Minister Julie James and Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths have announced their support for Jeremy Miles, with Griffiths emphasizing that a Welsh Labour government led by Miles would focus on the voices of people in the north of Wales. With Drakeford set to step down in March, a new Welsh first minister will be in place before the Welsh Parliament breaks up for Easter.
Gething, who was brought up in Dorset and went to university in Aberystwyth and Cardiff, is aiming to maintain Labour’s track record of election success and focusing on people’s needs in Wales. Candidates have yet to officially declare for the local labor election, but Gething’s announcement has officially begun the race to become Welsh Labour’s next leader
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