Drakeford says Gething made mistake but is good man

Former first minister Mark Drakeford said Vaughan Gething is a "much much better" person than he is being portrayed

Vaughan Gething is "a much, much better person than he has been portrayed", former first minister Mark Drakeford says.

Mr Gething resigned on Tuesday after months of interparty disputes.

Mr Drakeford told BBC Walescast there was "a great deal of goodwill" to Mr Gething when he took office in March - becoming the first black leader of a European nation.

But Mr Drakeford said the "fuse was lit" when Mr Gething accepted a £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a company owned by a man twice convicted of environmental offences.

Last month, Mr Gething lost a vote of no confidence in the Senedd following rows over the donation, and his decision to sack Hannah Blythyn as a minister.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales' Walescast, Mr Drakeford said Mr Gething had "immense sadness" that matters had not worked out "in the way he absolutely would have hoped and had a right to expect".

"My own observation at a bit of a distance was that there was a great deal of goodwill available to him in the earliest days," he said.

"I think people were absolutely proud to have the first black leader anywhere in Europe, here in Wales."

Mr Drakeford said the first minister's fate was sealed as soon as he accepted the donation: "the fuse was lit in a way, and Vaughan was never able to escape it."

"And that's very, very unfair but I'm afraid in political life fairness isn't always the way things are navigated."

Mr Drakeford added: "I think it can fairly be laid at Vaughan's door that mistakes were made.

However, Mr Drakeford said he believes it is "completely unfair" to say the mistake was "dishonest" or due to a "lack of integrity".

"Vaughan is a much, much better person than he has been portrayed in newspaper outlets and in some of the commentary around him."

Vaughan Gething resigned as first minister after only 118 days in the job

Plaid Cymru called for a snap Senedd election following Mr Gething's resignation but Mr Drakeford said that would not happen and the election would take place, as planned, in 2026.

When asked about the upcoming Welsh Labour leadership contest, Mr Drakeford called for it to be "as short as it can be, consistent with the rules".

He said he thought installing a new leader by the start of the new Senedd term in September was "probably just a shade on the ambitious side" but would like for it to happen by the end of that month.

Mr Drakeford, who said he would "very much like" there to be a woman on the ballot, added that he had not thought it was appropriate for him to endorse a candidate while he was first minister.

But he said: "I'm a freer agent now."

In his resignation statement to the Senedd, Mr Gething denied any wrongdoing and said he had not compromised his integrity.

He later told the Welsh Parliament that he was "proud" of his record in 11 years as being a minister and was "sad" that process would come to an end.

During Mr Gething's time in office, a co-operation deal with Plaid Cymru which Labour relied on for a majority collapsed.

His sacking of social partnership minister Hannah Blythyn, who was fired over the alleged leak of messages relating to the Covid-19 pandemic to news website Nation.Cymru, added to controversies over his leadership.

Nation.Cymru, along with Ms Blythyn, denied she was the source of the leaked messages, which showed Mr Gething claiming he would delete correspondence from an iMessage group of Welsh ministers.

On Saturday, Welsh Labour is expected to announce the timetable and process for electing a new leader.