Eluned Morgan's first 100 days: What we've learned

First Minister Eluned Morgan took over in the top job in the summer

First Minister Eluned Morgan took charge of the Welsh government after months of infighting in her party.

Since then the ship she sails has been smoother, allowing the Welsh government to focus less on the politics inside it and more on the politics outside.

It has been 100 days now, which is often marked as a significant milestone for government leaders.

It's tough to make major changes, but words and actions can set the tone for their time at the helm, and of course not everyone makes it: Liz Truss lasted just 45 days as prime minister, while Morgan's predecessor, Vaughan Gething, quit after a tumultuous 118 days.

So after her first 100, what have we learned about how she wants to run the country?

Party unity?

Gething's short time as leader was dominated by internal fighting in the Labour group, triggered by the donation to his election campaign of £200,000 from a man twice convicted of environmental offences.

The Labour group was riven with division and disagreement, and Gething was eventually forced to resign.

On her first day Morgan promised to reunite her party once again, and it does look like she has stopped the squabbling in public at least, with the group united behind her leadership.

But old wounds take time to heal and, in private, some of the old tensions remain.

Priorities

Eluned Morgan has made it clear that her main aim is to focus on the issues that matter to people.

Her first few weeks as leader were spent on a listening exercise across Wales. She claimed it was a chance to hear what people want her government to do, while her opponents called it a public relations stunt.

Unsurprisingly, health came top of many people's list, and Morgan has said that she will be laser focused in delivering the change that people want in their public services.

Her main aim is to tackle long waiting lists in the NHS, and £28m has been provided as a first step to help the NHS cut the longest waiting times.

But it is going to take much longer than 100 days to achieve.

What not to do?

If health is a clear priority, then inevitably other issues will fall by the wayside.

Matters like constitutional reform or speed limits are not vote winners, and Morgan knows that.

Governments have limited time and resources so the first minister doesn't want be discussing issues that don't resonate with the public, or even anger them, as 20mph has done.

That's why the first female first minister has scrapped controversial plans for gender quotas in Senedd elections although plans for wider Senedd reform will still go ahead.

The 20mph limit has not been ditched, however, although former minister Lee Waters has complained about how negative ministers sound about the policy when they talk about it.

A new relationship with Westminster

Since becoming first minister, Eluned Morgan says she has talked to Keir Starmer about her government's finances

There has already been a "transformation in terms of our relationship with the UK government", according to Eluned Morgan.

That is to be expected with a Labour government in both Westminster and Wales for the first time in 14 years.

But Labour points to the budget, which resulted in an additional £1.7bn for the Welsh government, as an example of how this relationship is already bearing fruit.

There was also £25m to help make coal tips safe - a result of discussions between the two governments, we were told.

But other requests - such as Wales's share of HS2 rail spending, have not led to any indication yet that the UK government are prepared to hand over the money.

But the BBC has been told the first minister has not given up and will continue to make the case.

2026 election

In May 2026, the Welsh public will go to the polls in the Senedd elections and according to current projections Labour will have a battle on their hands to remain in power.

Labour politicians know that the new voting system will make it harder to compete against the opposition.

Morgan is very aware of the scale of the challenge ahead of her, and that is shaping everything she has done in her first 100 days.

She is gambling that by focusing on health she can have the biggest political impact.

But in order to succeed in 2026 she will need more than words, and voters will want to see that public services are getting better.