Welsh Labour leadership: How Eluned Morgan was selected as first minister of Wales

On 6 August 2024, Baroness Eluned Morgan was appointed as the sixth first minister of Wales, replacing Vaughan Gething who announced his resignation as first minister and Welsh Labour leader on 16 July, after four ministers resigned from his government. 

The departing ministers stated that Gething’s position was not tenable following his defeat in a motion of no confidence on 5 June. That motion had been tabled amid concerns about donations to Gething’s leadership campaign and his dismissal of the Minister for Social Partnership, Hannah Blythyn, whom he accused of leaking private messages. 

Gething’s position was also weakened by the decision of Plaid Cymru to end its co-operation agreement with Labour, leaving Gething as the head of a minority administration.

On 24 July, Welsh Labour members of the Senedd (MSs) nominated Eluned Morgan as new party leader. She was approved by the King as first minister on 6 August after first having been formally nominated by a vote in the Senedd.

How did Welsh Labour elect its leader?

The Welsh Labour Executive Committee met on 20 July to decide the timelines for the leadership election. 

Nominations were open from 20 July until 24 July at 12pm. Candidates that have met the minimum threshold were announced at 3pm. If there had been multiple candidates, an election campaign would have concluded on 14 September. However, as there was only one candidate Eluned Morgan became Welsh Labour leader on 24 July.

Candidates for Welsh Labour leader needed to be MSs and to receive nominations from either: 20% of Labour MSs, 10% of MSs and 20% of Constituency Labour Parties, or 10% of MSs and three nominations from Welsh Labour affiliated organisations, including two affiliated trade unions. There were 30 Labour MSs, so 20% of the Senedd Group amounted to six MS nominations. Eluned Morgan received 26 nominations.  

Had an election taken place, it would have been held on a one-member-one-vote basis, and all Welsh Labour members that joined the party before 16 July (the day Gething resigned) would have been eligible to vote.

What is the process to appoint a new first minister?

The Government of Wales Act 2006 and the standing orders of the Senedd govern how the first minister is formally appointed.

Vaughan Gething submitted his resignation as first minister to the King on 5 August. ²² Vaughan Gething, Tweet, 5 August 2024, retrieved 6 August 2024, www.x.com/PrifWeinidog/status/1820516451536547978.  His resignation was accepted by the King the next day. The Senedd then had four weeks in which to recommend whom the King should appoint as Gething’s successor. ²³ Government of Wales Act 2006 c.32 s 46.  The Senedd was in summer recess until 15 September, but was recalled for 6 August to vote for the new first minister. 

Any MS is entitled to stand to become first minister. In addition to Eluned Morgan, the leaders of the Welsh Conservative Party and Plaid Cymru, Andrew RT Davies and Rhun ap Iorwerth respectively, put their names forward. MSs then voted for their preferred candidate. 

Eluned Morgan was successfully nominated, winning 28 votes, compared with 15 for Davies and 12 for ap Iorwerth. The leader of Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds, abstained. The presiding officer and deputy presiding officer do not vote. Eluned Morgan was then formally declared the nominee. ²⁴ Welsh Parliament, Standing Orders of the Welsh Parliament, Welsh Parliament, September 2023, retrieved 9 January 2024, www.senedd.wales/guidance.

If no nominations for first minister had been made or if the Senedd had been unable to select a new first minister within 28 days, then the process to hold an ‘extraordinary general election’ would have been triggered. ²⁵ Government of Wales Act 2006 c.32 s 5.

After the Senedd’s nomination, the Llywydd (Presiding Officer) formally recommended the nominee to the King for appointment as first minister. ²⁶ Government of Wales Act 2006 c.32 s 47.  The King approved the appointment on 6 August 2024.

Who stood to succeed Vaughan Gething? 

Eluned Morgan, who was health secretary at the time, stood on a joint ‘unity ticket’ with Huw Irranca-Davies (rural affairs secretary) who will serve as her deputy first minister. She was the only candidate, with 26 nominations from the 30 Labour MSs. ³⁰ Deryn, Tweet, 23 July 2024, retrieved 23 July 2024, https://x.com/DerynConsulting/status/1815737360237093351.   

How have previous first ministers of Wales been chosen?

Eluned Morgan is the sixth person and the first woman to hold the post of first minister since devolution began in 1999. All six have been Welsh Labour leaders. She is the first leader of a devolved government to be a member of the House of Lords in the post-1999 devolution era.  ³¹ Eluned Morgan has been on a leave of absence from the House of Lords since becoming Welsh health secretary in 2021, and has expressed that she hopes to ‘pause that relationship’.

The first Welsh first minister (then titled first secretary) was Alun Michael, who, backed by prime minister Tony Blair, became Welsh Labour leader in October 1998. Michael won the contest due to strong trade union support; his rival Rhodri Morgan won more votes amongst Welsh Labour party members.

Michael was selected as Welsh Assembly leader after the first devolved election in May 1999, but resigned less than a year later when facing defeat on a confidence motion. 

Rhodri Morgan was the only candidate to replace Michael as Welsh Labour leader. His nomination to become first minister was also unopposed. ³² Geoffrey Gibbs and Lucy Ward, ‘Morgan pledges to heal Labour wounds in Wales’, The Guardian, 12 February 2000, retrieved 9 January 2024, www.theguardian.com/politics/2000/feb/12/wales.devolution He was reappointed first minister after the 2003 and 2007 elections, and served until December 2009.

Upon Rhodri Morgan’s retirement, Carwyn Jones defeated Edwina Hart and Huw Lewis to become the new Welsh Labour leader. Jones’ initial nomination as first minister was unopposed, and he was reappointed after the 2011 election. 

After the 2016 election, Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood, was also nominated. There was a tie in the Senedd first minister nomination vote, but Jones was re-elected after inter-party negotiations.

Jones served until 2018, following which Mark Drakeford, then finance secretary, beat Vaughan Gething and Eluned Morgan to become the new party leader.

Drakeford was then nominated alongside the leaders of the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru, but received the most votes. After the 2021 election he was nominated unopposed before voluntarily stepping down in early 2024.

After Drakeford’s resignation, Vaughan Gething was appointed as first minister on 20 March 2024, after winning the leadership contest, defeating opponent Jeremy Miles with 51.7% of the vote, as well as 11 nominations from MSs. Four days later, on 20 March 2024, he was appointed as first minister.