Eluned Morgan to be first female Welsh first minister

New Welsh Labour Leader Calls For Public Apology

Eluned Morgan wants to start fresh for Welsh Labour.

Political journalist covering stories for the BBC in Wales.

Eluned Morgan, the recently appointed leader of the Welsh Labour party, has expressed her regret for the recent challenges and conflicts faced by the party. She believes that an apology is owed to the people of Wales.

“We haven't done well lately,” mentioned Ms. Morgan, 57, who is expected to become the next first minister of Wales after being elected as party leader on Wednesday without opposition.

The competition was sparked by the departure of Vaughan Gething, who was compelled to leave due to the resignations of four top politicians in his administration the previous week.

Ms. Morgan, the current Health Secretary of Wales, has pledged to bring together the divided Welsh Labour party. This comes after a series of internal conflicts within the party following the appointment of Mr. Gething as the successor to Mark Drakeford in March.

The Welsh Conservatives stated that Ms. Morgan had been crowned, while Plaid Cymru remarked that the election revealed the "chaos" within the Labour party.

Mr Gething will continue to serve as the first minister until the Welsh Parliament votes to appoint Ms Morgan at a date that has not yet been decided.

The politician from Cardiff is a member of the House of Lords and a former MEP. They have represented Mid and West Wales as a Member of the Senedd since 2016.

Ms Morgan, who has been in charge of the Welsh health service since the last election in the Senedd, has vowed to bring together the divided Welsh Labour faction.

Huw Irranca-Davies, who backed Jeremy Miles instead of Mr Gething in the previous leadership race, is likely to become her second-in-command.

Out of the 30 Labour Senedd members, 26 of them showed their support for her, with only Lee Waters, Hannah Blythyn, and Mr. Gething abstaining from endorsing a candidate, as the first minister was not obligated to show public support.

Eluned Morgan: Do you think you would be able to identify the new first minister?

Ms. Morgan expressed her gratitude for being chosen in the election.

"When we promised to stand together, we were sincere - and that is how we will guide."

In an interview with BBC Wales, Ms. Morgan stated that it was crucial to offer an apology to the people of Wales.

"We have not been handling things well in the recent weeks," she commented.

"But this is about starting fresh."

Ms Morgan has not yet outlined her plans as first minister since there has not been a formal competition.

She vowed to pay attention to the citizens, stating that the people of Wales will "determine the focus for us".

In an interview with the BBC, Ms. Morgan expressed her belief that there is a desire for a stronger economy that emphasizes high-quality, environmentally friendly jobs.

I believe they would prefer a more efficient NHS, higher education quality, improved buses and transportation.

She mentioned that individuals from outside of Wales would be brought in to assess the long waiting times in the Welsh NHS.

When questioned about relinquishing her title, she replied that she hasn't visited the House of Lords in quite some time.

"I want to be able to put a hold on that relationship and have the chance to consider what will happen next, if needed."

Where the image came from: PA Media

Eluned Morgan has served as a Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales since 2016.

The Prime Minister and UK Labour leader Keir Starmer expressed his excitement at Eluned being elected as Welsh Labour leader and running for first minister, saying it is great news for Wales and the Labour Party.

Eluned has a lot of experience and has a proven history of getting things done. Being the first woman to lead Welsh Labour, she is already making a mark in history.

Rhun ap Iorwerth from Plaid Cymru stated that the frequent turnover in leadership within the party indicates a lot of chaos and instability within the government.

He criticized her performance as the health minister, claiming she had not successfully dealt with the major issues facing the NHS.

Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, praised Ms Morgan for being the first woman to lead Welsh Labour, and potentially the first female first minister.

He was blamed for overseeing the "highest number of people waiting for NHS care in Wales ever recorded".

"The baroness grabbed the crown during the coronation ceremony, with Prince Charming by her side," he said.

The leader of Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds, stated that it is now the responsibility of both Eluned and the Welsh Labour party to regain the trust of the Senedd and, more importantly, the people of Wales.

She also mentioned that she will work to increase the Welsh childcare program to help parents who work, work on reducing child poverty, and address the issues facing rural communities.

Eluned Morgan became the youngest person to be elected to the European Parliament in 1994.

During Mr. Gething's term in office, he faced criticism and scrutiny for accepting a sum of £200,000 in donations from a corporation owned by an individual with a history of illegally disposing of waste.

It was later discovered that he had also tried to influence the environmental regulatory body Natural Resources Wales on behalf of a branch of the identical company.

He was removed from his position after two of his colleagues in the Senedd did not support him.

His dismissal of a minister for supposedly leaking text messages caused more controversy when the politician in question, Hannah Blythyn, refuted allegations of speaking to the media.

The Member of the Senedd for Cardiff South and Penarth resigned after only 118 days in the role.

Even though it is confirmed that she will be the Welsh Labour leader, a formal vote must be taken from all 60 MSs before Ms. Morgan can officially become the first minister.

It was initially scheduled for Mr. Gething to resign in September, but it is anticipated that he will leave much earlier.

The Senedd is currently on summer break and would need to be asked by the Welsh government to resume parliamentary sessions.

Ms Morgan informed PA Media that she has no control over the situation. The current First Minister and presiding officer are the ones making the decisions.

I'm confident that discussions will occur shortly.

The presence of some study abroad students being on vacation creates an extra challenge.

The member states must vocally state their choice for the position of first minister in order to cast their vote.

In theory, the opposition - having the same amount of representatives in the Senedd as Ms Morgan's party - could block her confirmation by uniting behind a single candidate in a deadlock.

However, it is unlikely that this will occur, and Labour will probably have enough support to ensure their new first minister is officially appointed.

Jane Dodds, a member of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, intends to refrain from making a decision, whereas the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru are looking to select their own leaders.