First Minister of Wales: Contenders to replace Gething as Welsh Labour leader

Following Vaughan Gething’s resignation earlier this week as First Minister of Wales, discussion of who might replace him as Welsh Labour leader is already well underway.

While no-one has yet announced their intention to stand in the contest, speculation is rife about who the potential candidates might be.

LabourList takes a closer look at some of those who are rumoured to be in contention.

Jeremy Miles

The former Welsh economy secretary, who quit his post just hours before Gething announced his resignation, is understood to be likely to throw his hat in the ring for the leadership contest.

Miles ran against Gething in the last leadership election earlier this year, receiving the most nominations from Labour members of the Senedd. He narrowly lost the election by less than four percentage points.

While Miles is the bookmakers’ favourite to win the contest, some supporters of the former First Minister have told BBC Wales his involvement with Gething’s resignation makes him unsuitable for the position. One went as far as to say they would rather “die in a ditch” than have Miles as leader.

Mick Antoniw

A self-proclaimed socialist, Antoniw served as Counsel General until his resignation along with three other ministers earlier this week and is thought to be one of those interested in a bid for the leadership.

He has served as the MS for Pontypridd since 2011 and previously backed Jeremy Miles at the last leadership election. Following Gething’s election as Welsh Labour leader and First Minister, Antoniw was critical of his handling of the donations scandal.

Antoniw was censured earlier this month by the Senedd’s standards committee after claiming on social media that “Tories [are] so happy to see people and particularly children killed and injured on our roads”.

Born to Ukrainian parents, Antoniw backs Ukrainian membership of the European Union and NATO.

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Hannah Blythyn

The former minister for social partnership is also rumoured to be considering a bid for the leadership, after she was sacked by Gething over allegations of leaking messages from him during his time as health minister in the pandemic – something she strongly denies.

Her firing was cited as part of the motion of no confidence in Gething earlier this month. Blythyn was unwell on the day of the vote, along with her Labour colleague Lee Waters, causing the government of the then-First Minister to lose 29-27.

Upon her election as MS for Delyn in 2016, Blythyn was one of the first openly gay and lesbian members of the Senedd.

Blythyn did not stand at the last leadership election, instead opting to back Jeremy Miles.

Ken Skates

An ally of the former First Minister, Skates has served as the MS for Clwyd South since 2011 and is the current Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport in the Welsh government.

Before entering the Senedd, he worked as a journalist writing for The Leader, a local newspaper in Wrexham and as a freelancer for The Daily Express.

READ MORE: Vaughan Gething’s resignation letter in full

Huw Irranca-Davies

Irranca-Davies, who is the current Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, is rumoured to be in the running for the Welsh Labour leadership.

He has served as the MS for Ogmore since 2016 and was previously the MP for Ogmore from 2002 until 2016.

He previously launched a bid for the Welsh Labour leadership in 2018, but withdrew his candidacy and instead backed Eluned Morgan.

Eluned Morgan

The current Culture Secretary for Health and Social Care is also thought to be considering a run to become the Welsh Labour leader, having ruled herself out of the last contest and backing Vaughan Gething.

Morgan has served as MS for Mid and West Wales since 2016 and is also a member of the House of Lords.

She was also vocal in her support for the sacking of Hannah Blythyn from the government over allegations of leaking – something Blythyn has strongly denied.

Morgan stood for election as Welsh Labour leader in 2018, receiving an endorsement from former First Minister Carwyn Jones. However, she was eliminated in the first round of the election, having placed third with 22.3% of the vote.

When will the leadership election be held?

A timeline for the leadership election has yet to be announced by the party but it is understood that a timeframe will be set out later this week.

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