5 months ago
15
First Minister Vaughan Gething has lost a vote of no confidence in his leadership in the Welsh Parliament.
29 voted in favour of the resolution, while 27 voted against.
Mr Gething is not obliged to quit, as the result is not binding, but it places him under additional pressure after weeks of criticism.
The Senedd vote was called by the Conservatives over donations made to Mr Gething’s leadership campaign by a company owned by a man previously convicted of environmental offences.
There are 60 members of the Welsh Parliament - Labour holds exactly half of the seats with 30 members, while there are 16 Tories, 13 Plaid Cymru members and a solitary Liberal Democrat.
Mr Gething replaced Mark Drakeford as Wales’ first minister in March, defeating Jeremy Miles in a Welsh Labour leadership contest.
Since then, he has faced criticism – including from those in his own party – over the donations, while also being questioned over Covid-era text messages and the sacking of a minister for allegedly leaking information to the media, which she denies.
The result will also be uncomfortable for the UK Labour Party in Westminster, less than a month ahead of a general election.
There’s a stench that stretches all the way from a rubbish dump in Pembrokeshire to the office of the First Minister of Wales.
