Four Welsh Government ministers resign and call for FM to stand down

Four Welsh ministers have quit the government in protest at First Minister Vaughan Gething's leadership, telling him they cannot get on with the job "without you standing down".

Mick Antoniw, Julie James, Lesley Griffiths and Jeremy Miles resigned on Tuesday morning, posting separate letters on social media in which they called for Mr Gething to go.

The First Minister has come under sustained criticism in recent months for his decision to sack former minister Hannah Blythyn, and over a series of rows concerning donations he took while running to be Welsh Labour leader.

These resignations come after months of controversy since Mr. Gething's appointment in March, which have included a dramatic week involving a dismissed minister, concerns about Mr. Gething's campaign donations, and a lost confidence vote.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said:

"Vaughan Gething has led a government of chaos and put his own self-interest before the interests of the people of Wales. For months, the First Minister's poor judgment, aversion to scrutiny and 'do nothing' approach to governing has undermined the office of First Minister and brought Welsh politics into disrepute. Seldom have heads of government in a democracy disregarded the will of its legislature by carrying on despite losing a vote of confidence. The Labour Party has thrown its weight behind Vaughan Gething and Keir Starmer has acted as his main cheerleader. The ministers who resigned today are equally culpable, they should have acted far sooner than their eleventh hour intervention when it was a case of one bad headline too many."

Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies said:

"Vaughan Gething's time as First Minister is rightly coming to an end. But Labour cannot fool the people of Wales. These ministers, like Jeremy Miles, sat in his Cabinet, they stood by his side, and they are culpable for the breakdown of governance in Wales. Wales will remember."

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said:

"Vaughan Gething has now lost both the confidence of the Senedd and several members of his own Government; he must resign from his position as First Minister. We cannot afford to allow internal fighting in Welsh labour to distract us any longer from the range of serious issues facing our country. The Welsh people are sick and tired of constant political scandals and broken promises, they want to see a political system that works for them. We as the Welsh Liberal Democrats will deliver that change."

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