Eluned Morgan: a year at the helm

Local TV

Eluned Morgan has been First Minister for a full year now, so we’re taking a look back on her tenure so far. It’s been calmer than the year prior, but it certainly hasn’t all been plain sailing for Wales’ first female premier.

Transcript

00:00I will recommend to His Majesty the appointment of Alinead Morgan as First Minister. Many congratulations.

00:10It's now been over a year since Alinead Morgan was sworn in as First Minister.

00:14She already had an extensive list of ministerial positions under her belt,

00:18and becoming Wales' first ever female Premier has been her biggest achievement to date.

00:22She took over during one of the most volatile periods in the Senate history,

00:25with Baroness Morgan becoming the third First Minister of the year,

00:29after the turbulent, controversial and ultimately very short leadership of Vaughan Gethling, her predecessor.

00:34Her job was simple, steady the ship and get the Welsh Government back on track,

00:38lose the distractions and maintain some stability.

00:41It's fair to say she's done that with, in the grand scheme of things, a relatively issue-free year in charge.

00:47We'll be taking a look back at her tenure, starting off right at the very beginning.

00:50It's the honour of my life, to stand before you today as the first woman to become the first Minister of Wales.

01:0025 years ago, we witnessed...

01:02APPLAUSE

01:0425 years ago, we witnessed the dawn of a new era with the birth of devolution.

01:19One of the major talking points throughout the whole year has been the Welsh Government's relationship with the UK Government,

01:26or, rather, lack thereof.

01:28It was promised two Labour governments on each end of the M4 would help Wales,

01:32give us more of a voice and fight for issues that matter here.

01:36Instead, much of the discussion has been over the perceived lack of a voice from the First Minister in Sir Keir Starmer's ear,

01:42something that was brought up when the Welsh Conservatives tabled a discussion to mark 100 days of Morgan's leadership, way back in November.

01:49When I first became First Minister, 100 days ago to tomorrow, I promised real delivery for Wales.

01:57And today, I can show the Senate exactly how Welsh Labour is delivering, not just promises, but concrete action for our communities.

02:07And I'm really glad the Tories put this motion down today, because I can set out what is within my powers to deliver,

02:16and I can't, and it's important for me to once again set out how devolution works.

02:23I am responsible for the things where we have devolved responsibilities, UK Government have their responsibilities.

02:30Alina Edmorgan does, though, certainly have a sense of humour.

02:34In recent months, there's been a buzz around the run-up to the Euro 2025, when Wales qualified for the first time ever.

02:40And despite being asked about ongoing discussions with the UK Government and a lack of answers from them,

02:45Alina Edmorgan would much rather talk about the football.

02:48You want to ask about my next move? I'll tell you what my next move is going to be.

02:51I'm going to be going out to watch the football on Saturday, and I will be cheering the women of Wales on.

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