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Vaughan Gething has announced his resignation as first minister of Wales, ending a four-month tenure dogged by a series of scandals.
The 50-year-old politician’s decision on Tuesday came after three ministers in the Welsh assembly quit earlier in the day and called on him to go. Gething lost a non-binding vote of no confidence in June in the run-up to this month’s general election.
Gething’s brief tenure at the head of the devolved government had been burdened by controversy over donations he received when running for the position, as well as a recent leak scandal.
He said he had now “taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour party and, as a result, first minister”.
He added that he had hoped for “a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal” over the summer but that “I recognise now that this is not possible . . . It has been the honour of my life to do this job even for a few short months.”
The controversy over Gething’s future has destabilised Welsh Labour, despite the UK-wide party’s landslide election victory this month.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday thanked Gething for his “service”, and said: “I know what a difficult decision this has been for him, but I also know that he has made it because he feels it is the best decision now for Wales.”
Starmer added that Gething “should take enormous pride in being the first Black leader of any country in Europe”.
The scandal that overshadowed Gething’s tenure partly revolved around a £200,000 donation he received when running for leader. The gift was from recycling company Dauson Environmental Group, owned by David Neal, a businessman who received a suspended prison sentence in 2013 over the illegal dumping of waste.
In February last year, a Dauson subsidiary received a £400,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales, which at the time fell under Gething’s remit as economy minister.
Jeremy Miles, who narrowly lost this year’s leadership contest to Gething and quit on Tuesday as economy minister, warned that the dispute was damaging the party and distracting the Welsh government.
“I can’t see any way forward for us which allows us to get on with the job we are elected to do, without you standing down,” Miles wrote in a letter.
Former housing minister Julie James, writing on X, called on Gething to resign so the party could “begin to repair this damage immediately”.
Lesley Griffiths, who stepped down as culture minister, said: “We simply will not be able to put things back on track under your leadership.”
Counsel-general Mick Antoniw warned that he would stand down unless Gething resigned. “I must advise you that I do not believe you can continue as first minister. Wales needs a confident and stable government,” he said. “I do not believe you are capable of delivering that.”
Gething also ignited a dispute by firing Hannah Blythyn, minister for social partnership, in May, alleging she was the source of a news story that revealed he deleted messages from a group chat during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Welsh Labour leader insisted the leak came from Blythyn’s phone, an allegation she denied. He declined to offer evidence for the sacking and did not commission a leak inquiry.
In a highly unusual move, the Nation.Cymru website, which ran the original story, said Blythyn was not the source.