The potential runners and riders in the Welsh Labour leadership election
Vaughan Gething has announced his resignation as leader of Welsh Labour and First Minister of Wales. Gething replaced Mark Drakeford as First Minister in March 2024, meaning he lasted just four months in the role.
As a result of Gething’s departure, there will now be an election for the next leader of Welsh Labour. At the time of writing, no candidates have announced their intention to run. but there is a lot of speculation about who could put their hat in the ring. These are all the potential runners and riders.
Jeremy Miles
Jeremy Miles is the current favourite to replace Gething. He stood in the last leadership election that took place earlier year, picking up 48.3% of the vote to Gething’s 51.7%.
Prior to that election, Miles served as Wales’ Education Minister. Under Gething’s leadership, Miles served as the Welsh Government’s Economy Minister. Miles resigned from that post earlier this week alongside other ministers in a move that would ultimately cause Gething to quit.
Mair Eluned Morgan
Mair Eluned Morgan has been a fixture of Welsh politics for three decades. She served as an MEP from 1994 to 2009, and was appointed to the House of Lords in 2011.
Since her election to the Senedd in 2016, she has served in the Welsh Government in a number of roles, including as Welsh Language Minister and as Health Minister.
Ken Skates
Ken Skates has been a member of the Senedd since 2011, and is the current North Wales and Transport Minister.
Earlier in his career, held the same role for five years but with additional responsibilities around the economy.
Huw Irranca-Davies
Another figure who has been a mainstay of Welsh politics for many years, Huw Irranca Davies was an MP from 2002 to 2016 before he entered the Senedd. During his time in Westminster, he held junior ministerial office during Gordon Brown’s time as prime minister.
Since being in the Senedd, he served as Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care for a year, and was appointed the Climate Change Minister by Vaughan Gething in March 2024.
Mick Antoniw
Mick Antoniw has been a member of the Senedd since 2021 and served as Counsel General for Wales from 2021-2024. Antoniw was one of four Welsh Government ministers to resign this week saying that he lost confidence in Gething’s leadership.
Antoniw is a figure on the left of the Labour Party, having backed Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign for the Labour leadership in 2015.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Image credit: Senedd Cymru – Creative Commons
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