Former First Minister, Vaughan Gething, will not seek re-election to Senedd

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00:00is Vaughan Gething. He was the man at the top of Welsh politics just a few months ago.

00:07Now he's off. The news coming today in the form of a tweet with Vaughan Gething confirming

00:12that he would not seek re-election at the 2026 Senedd elections, adding that the support

00:18of local members from Cardiff South and Penarth Labour Party has been a constant source of

00:23strength especially in recent months and saying that as a Welshman born in Zambia it's been

00:29a great honour to serve in the Welsh Government. Former First Minister Alan Michael says it

00:35will be a great loss.

00:36Desperately disappointed because he's shown himself to be an able leader, somebody who

00:43can manage a big department as he demonstrated during the Covid period and with the determination

00:52and the ambition to show real leadership to Wales.

00:57The first black leader of a European nation, Vaughan Gething rose through the ranks and

01:01took over as First Minister in March.

01:03Does an apology in any way fit in with his idea of a new start?

01:08But since then it's been far from a fairy tale. His leadership marred by controversy

01:12over a £200,000 donation from a firm owned by a man previously convicted of environmental

01:19offences.

01:20Then there was the sacking of one of his cabinet ministers, Hannah Blythyn, over leaked messages

01:26from the Covid pandemic. Ms Blythyn denying that she was the source of the leak. It all

01:31led to a no confidence vote in June which Mr Gething lost but insisted he wouldn't resign.

01:38But after four Welsh Government ministers resigned in July, calling for him to go, he

01:43announced he would step down.

01:45The new Welsh leader, Eluned Morgan, responded to today's news by saying her predecessor

01:50had made a truly historic contribution to Wales. A contribution Mr Gething will now

01:56serve from the back benches until his departure at the next Senate election.