Jeremy Miles, a former rival of Vaughan Gething, is likely to run in the upcoming Welsh Labour leadership contest, according to sources close to him. Mr Miles was one of four people who resigned from the Welsh government and forced Mr Gething to quit. Two supporters of Mr Gething say the former economy secretary cannot unite the group and cannot be the next first minister. Huw Irranca-Davies is also named as a possible successor to Mr Gething. Transport Secretary Ken Skates is considering putting his hat in the ring, but former counsel general Mick Antoniw has ruled himself out.
Opposition parties have called for the first minister to fill the roles vacated, whilst Wales’ previous first minister Mark Drakeford has said that Mr Gething was “haunted” by decisions he took which he has never been able to shake off. A separate Miles supporter said it was not “credible” for Mr Gething to carry on through the summer as he no longer had the support of “the group, cabinet, or Senedd”. Dates for the contest are yet to be set, although Mr Gething has said his replacement would be installed by the autumn.
Two supporters of the first minister have told BBC Wales that Mr Miles’s involvement in forcing Mr Gething’s exit makes him unsuitable to take over. One Gething supporter suggested they would like to see Eluned Morgan run, saying she was a communicator who could connect the party with traditional backers of Labour. Another supporter said Mr Miles could not unite the party and there was “a very strong feeling that the person who is associated with a bloodied knife cannot claim the crown”. Mr Miles came second in the leadership contest in March with 48.3% of the vote, versus Mr Gething’s 51.7%.
Mr Gething has been dogged by questions over a £200,000 campaign donation from Dauson Environmental Group. He has also been criticised over the sacking of former minister Hannah Blythyn for allegedly leaking to the media, which she denies. In his resignation speech, Mr Gething denied any wrongdoing, saying: “I regret that the burden of proof is no longer an important commodity in the language of our politics.” The ruling body of Welsh Labour will meet at the weekend and is expected to set out a timetable for the leadership campaign
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