First Minister faces vote of no-confidence two months into term

The First Minister of Wales is set to face a vote of no confidence next week amid serious accusations of his failings as Health Minister in the run-up to the Senedd elections in 2021, alongside the revelation that Vaughan Gething misled the UK Covid Inquiry by failing to admit he deleted messages relating to the pandemic, as well as the £200,000 donation made to his campaign fund for First Minister in March by RML (a waste management company that committed a series of environmental offences at a site near Haverfordwest).

Despite calls from other political parties as well as from within Welsh Labour to return the donation, Vaughan Gething rejected those calls and it is believed that the First Minister gave the remainder of the donation to the UK Labour party.

Barely begun

The newly elected First Minister has been in office for a mere two months and two weeks, barely scratching the surface of his four-year term, and is already facing serious scrutiny as well as accusations from the opposition. The Welsh Lib Dems have made plain their position and will be voting against the First Minister in the no-confidence vote next week.

Should the First Minister survive a vote of no-confidence, his authority would be significantly diminished as the leader of Wales and would likely struggle to maintain credibility with the opposition. Plaid Cymru have already voiced their disapproval of the former Health Minister’s handling of healthcare in 2021 with the latest Betsi Cadwaladr report revealing that there were significant failings to provide appropriate care to patients in North Wales which included a damning report into mental health care in North Wales.

If the First Minister fails to survive the vote next week, the outcome will likely result in the First Minister’s resignation, prompting a leadership election amid an already intense period of campaigning where public opinion matters most.

Public Opinion

Members of the public have already taken to social media to criticise the First Minister, with overwhelming calls for him to resign:

One user on X said: “The welsh people have no confidence in you or the labour party to run a bath, let alone run the country.”

Another user said: “25 yrs of uninterrupted mismanagement by Welsh Labour has wrecked the country but you as FM has dragged it down even further. Not fit to run a bath, pal.”

And another user said: “We have no confidence in you Vaughan Gething. Your arrogance is so loud and your integrity deathly silent. You must Resign.”

On Facebook, the same opinions were shared by users there:

One Facebook user said: “The entire Labour Party should face the same vote.”

Another user said: “If anyone thinks there is any integrity in the Welsh Labour party they are vastly mistaken. Nothing will come of this. If the people of Wales voted however he would be toast. Quite rightly so the man is disingenuous like the rest of them. Self-serving with no care for the way they have, in the last 25 years, destroyed this country.”

And another user said: “This seems to be the norm: vote them in, and vote them straight out. Liz Truss, Humza Yousaf, and now Vaughan Gething. It’s a pity that the public are not able to demand a vote of no confidence in the ones we choose.”

Welsh Labour will have to strengthen their campaign if they are to convince the public to vote for Labour in the up-coming election. Labour ministers will have to rally behind the next First Minister should Vaughan Gething resign next week.

What are your views on this? Do you think the First Minister should resign? We want to hear from you.

Contact our reporter Elkanah Evans.

Tel 07377211646

Email: newsdesk@carmarthenshirenewsonline.com