By Maggie Simpson

Vaughan Gething MS was confirmed as Wales’ new First Minister last week.  He is the first black man to hold this position and indeed is the first black leader of a national government in Europe.

Vaughan succeeds Mark Drakeford after a close fought election for Welsh Labour leader which he secured against Jeremy Miles MS by 51.7% to 48.3% of the vote.

 Welsh Labour Grassroots sent a series of policy questions to the two candidates at the start of the election. But responses from the candidates were such that WLG was unable to recommend support for either candidate.

 There was a major issue during the election campaign of a £200,000 donation to the Vaughan Gething campaign from a businessman whose company has twice been convicted of environmental offences.  This is a significant sum of money for a campaign when in the last such election the successful candidate used just £25,000.  There are already calls for the money to be repaid and for guidelines on election expenditure to be looked at.

Mark Drakeford’s government was of the centre-left.  Among its achievements are Senedd reform in partnership with Plaid Cymru and the Independent Commission on the Constitutional future of Wales whose final report was delivered in January.

 There are no academy schools or foundation hospitals in Wales but free bus passes for the over 60s, free prescriptions and universal free school meals in primary schools.  A Social Partnership Council with trade unions and business has been established and there has been progress on work across all the equality strands.

 Nonetheless, there are major budgetary challenges, difficulty of public service delivery through austerity and tackling the climate emergency.  The introduction of 20mph zones in residential areas has provoked widespread discontent.  Moreover, the Welsh government failed to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza despite a Senedd vote for it and the Covid Inquiry in Wales has revealed that 68% of those who died in Wales were disabled people, an even higher ratio than the 59% of those deaths in the UK as a whole.  

 Vaughan Gething will face significant challenges as First Minister. As a supporter of both Tony Blair and Keir Starmer, his government will undoubtedly differ from that of Mark Drakeford.  Welsh Labour Grassroots issued a policy document during the leadership campaign outlining key socialist policies that it will continue to campaign for. Readers can see it here.

‘Clear red water’ was the term coined to describe the policy differences between Welsh Labour and the Blair governments.  Clear red water between Wales and Westminster will need to be maintained as necessary, if poverty, inequality and wellbeing in Wales are to be addressed in the coming years.

Candidates supported by Welsh Labour Grassroots for the Wales National Policy Forum seats

Maggie Simpson is a member of Welsh Labour Grassroots steering committee and the executive committee of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy.

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