Summary

  • Eluned Morgan becomes new Welsh Labour leader and is set to be the next first minister of Wales

  • She told the BBC the Welsh government has not “made a good fist of things” recently, but that it was now “turning a new page”

  • Ms Morgan, 57, must wait for the Senedd to reconvene during its summer break to be officially confirmed as first minister

  • Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer congratulated her, saying she was “already making history”

  • Her appointment follows the resignation of Vaughan Gething, who announced his departure last week, after just four months in the job

  • Ms Morgan is a former MEP and member of the House of Lords - her formal title is Baroness Morgan of Ely - was brought up in Cardiff, and has been MS for Mid and West Wales since 2016

  1. Thanks - and bye for nowpublished at 18:56 British Summer Time 24 July

    Thank you for joining us today, we’ll be bringing our live page coverage to a close shortly.

    Here are some of the main developments from what is being described as a historic day in Welsh politics:

    • Eluned Morgan has been confirmed as the new leader of Welsh Labour, the first woman to hold the position, and will become Wales’ new first minister
    • She was the sole candidate to replace Vaughan Gething, who stepped down last week, following months of controversy
    • Morgan said Welsh Labour owes an apology to the public, telling the BBC her appointment was “about turning a new page" after a turbulent few weeks
    • However, she must wait for the Senedd to reconvene during its summer break to be officially confirmed as first minister
    • Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Morgan's appointment as "fantastic news" for both Wales and the Labour Party, highlighting her "wealth of experience and track record of delivery”

    Today’s page was edited by Nick Horton and Oliver Slow. The writers were Jack Grey, David Deans and Eirian Jones.

    You can read more on today’s news here, and our article on Eluned Morgan's political career here.

  2. All eyes on 2026 Senedd electionpublished at 18:47 British Summer Time 24 July

    Oliver Slow
    BBC Wales News

    A view of the Senedd, the Welsh parliament building in CardiffImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    A Senedd election is due to take place in 2026

    With Eluned Morgan set to become the new first minister, one of her first challenges will be to unite Welsh Labour.

    The party has seen significant divisions in recent months, particularly over the leadership of Vaughan Gething.

    Those splits did not have a major impact on the party’s performance in last month’s general election, when it saw major gains in terms of seats, although its vote share slipped.

    But much of her focus will be on ensuring unity ahead of a Senedd election in 2026.

    That vote could drastically revamp the Senedd, with the number of Members of the Senedd (MSs) increasing from 60 to 96.

    The system of proportional representation could also potentially work in the favour of smaller parties – such as Reform UK and the Greens – that picked up votes in the general election, but did not win any seats.

  3. Morgan's past driving controversypublished at 18:40 British Summer Time 24 July

    Jack Grey
    BBC Wales News

    Speed cameraImage source, Getty Images

    Eluned Morgan is not without her own past controversies - in 2021 she was banned from driving after being convicted for speeding for the fourth time.

    She was found to have broken the Senedd code of conduct as a result and became the first minister to be formally reprimanded by the Welsh Parliament.

    An investigation by standards commissioner Douglas Bain found she had showed "a disregard for the law and a failure to take action to avoid repetition of unlawful conduct".

    At the time, she said: "I apologise unreservedly and wholeheartedly to you, my fellow Senedd members and to the people of Wales for the embarrassing position I put myself and this respected institution in.

    "I want to say sorry to anyone who has been affected by my actions."

  4. Morgan is committed to public service, says Drakefordpublished at 18:26 British Summer Time 24 July

    David Deans
    BBC Wales politics reporter

    Mark DrakefordImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Mark Drakeford stood down as first minister in March

    Former first minister Mark Drakeford was among those offering their support to Eluned Morgan on Tuesday.

    He said she will bring to her role "a commitment to public service".

    "Steeped in the radical Welsh Labour tradition, she will listen to people across our nation and speak alongside them with respect for, and resonance with, their experience of being citizens of 21st century Wales," he said.

    "I look forward enormously to supporting her in the task that lies ahead."

  5. First woman leader - but another from south Walespublished at 18:12 British Summer Time 24 July

    David Deans
    BBC Wales politics reporter

    Eluned Morgan will be the first Labour first minister who doesn't serve a constituency from south Wales.

    But while she represents Mid and West Wales, she actually grew up in Cardiff.

    This means that of the six first ministers so far, five have had strong links to the Welsh capital.

    Most have represented a Cardiff seat: Alun Michael - whose title at the time was first secretary - represented Cardiff South and Penarth, as did Vaughan Gething, while both Mark Drakeford and the late Rhodri Morgan sat for Cardiff West.

    The remaining first minister, Carwyn Jones, represented Bridgend, which is only 20 or so miles from Cardiff.

    Morgan's ascendancy also returns to a Welsh-speaking tradition among first ministers - all except Gething have spoken the language.

  6. Former school sends congratulationspublished at 17:53 British Summer Time 24 July

    Eluned Morgan’s former school, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf in Cardiff, has congratulated her on her appointment.

    The school posted pictures of her meeting students at the school during a recent visit.

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  7. This is about turning a new page, says Morganpublished at 17:25 British Summer Time 24 July

    New Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan has said her party owes an apology to the Welsh public.

    "We have not made a good fist of things in the past few weeks," she told BBC Wales at a celebration event in Ely, Cardiff, after her appointment was confirmed.

    But she said "this is about turning a new page", and that her administration is keen to listen to the people of Wales.

    Watch what she said below:

    Media caption,

    Eluned Morgan hopes to ‘turn new page’ for Welsh Labour

  8. Morgan hopes to 'pause' peeragepublished at 17:06 British Summer Time 24 July

    David Deans
    BBC Wales politics reporter

    Eluned Morgan's formal title is Baroness Morgan of Ely, as she has been a life peer since 2011.

    She was a frontbencher in the House of Lords, but has not had an active role in the upper house of the UK parliament for a while.

    At the last Welsh Labour leadership contest she took part in in 2018, she promised to give up her peerage if she became first minister.

    She did not make a similar commitment today, however.

    Speaking to BBC Wales after her confirmation as Welsh Labour leader, she said had not been to the House of Lords "for many years".

    "I'm hoping I will be able to pause that relationship and have that opportunity if necessary to think about what happens in the future."

  9. From celebrating devolution to leading the institution that it birthedpublished at 16:56 British Summer Time 24 July

    Glenys Kinnock and Eluned MorganImage source, PA
    Image caption,

    Eluned Morgan was an MEP alongside the late Glenys Kinnock when Wales voted narrowly for devolution in 1997

    In the early hours of 19 September, 1997, Eluned Morgan could be seen dancing joyously at a Cardiff hotel.

    It was after a referendum had confirmed the creation of the Welsh assembly, and devolutionists like her were ecstatic at their dramatic and narrow victory.

    New Labour's devolution plans were endorsed by 50.3% of the vote on a turnout of 51.3% in Wales: the winning margin was just 6,721 votes out of more than 1.1m cast.

    The then 30-year-old Morgan was seen swaying on the dancefloor to a Catatonia hit of the time, International Velvet, with its chorus of “Every day when I wake up / I thank the Lord I’m Welsh”.

    Almost 30 years on, she is poised to lead the institution whose birth she was celebrating.

  10. Morgan apologises to Wales for Labour turmoilpublished at 16:48 British Summer Time 24 July

    Eluned Morgan, who has been celebrating her election at Caer Heritage Centre in Ely, Cardiff, told BBC Wales it was "important to apologise to the Welsh public".

    "We have not made a good fist of things in the past few weeks," she said.

    "But this is about turning a new page".

    Ms Morgan has been at the helm of the Welsh NHS since 2021. Opponents in other parties have criticised her appointment by seizing on her record as health secretary.

    "We have two million contacts a month of a population of three million people in the NHS in Wales.

    "The vast majority of those people are highly satisfied with the care that they're given."

  11. Good to see a female leader, says Unisonpublished at 16:35 British Summer Time 24 July

    Jack Grey
    BBC Wales News

    Trade union Unison says it welcomes Eluned Morgan as Welsh Labour leader after the "turmoil" of recent weeks.

    Regional secretary Jess Turner says: "As a union that predominantly represents women, it's good to see that Welsh Labour at last has a female leader.

    “[We] look forward to working with Eluned and her colleagues to tackle struggling public services, deliver social partnership and the fair work agenda."

    Ian Price, the director of business organisation CBI Wales, says: "With renewed political stability, the Welsh government can work with business to tackle the key issues holding back the economy, including funding for apprenticeships, skills and reskilling, while it partners with the new UK government to build a sustainable economy.”

  12. If you're just joining us...published at 16:29 British Summer Time 24 July

    Jack Grey
    BBC Wales News

    ...where have you been?

    Welsh Labour has a new leader in Eluned Morgan, the first woman to hold the job.

    She's not first minister yet, and has to wait for the Senedd to reconvene for that to become official.

    She was the only person who stood to replace outgoing First Minister Vaughan Gething, who stood down last week.

    After her victory, Morgan said: "I am truly honoured to become the first woman to lead Welsh Labour and to be put forward as our party’s nominee to become the next first minister of Wales."

    Gething has congratulated her on the appointment, saying the party is "good hands" with her.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Morgan's appointment "fantastic news".

    He says she is "already making history" as the first woman to lead Wales.

    "I look forward to working hand-in-hand with Eluned to deliver on our promises to Wales and Britain."

  13. Miss Wales at Eluned Morgan's celebrationpublished at 16:15 British Summer Time 24 July

    Attending Eluned Morgan's celebration event, in Ely, Cardiff, is Miss Wales, complete with sash.

    Millie-Mae Adams, a Welsh speaking medical student from Cardiff, created a "street doctors" team at university to train young people how to save a life.

    She was named Miss Wales in 2023.

    She's at the event listening to Morgan's victory speech, which we'll hear from soon.

    Morgan's speech
  14. Morgan has taken this on because of her duty to Labour, says Neil Kinnockpublished at 16:10 British Summer Time 24 July

    Mark Palmer
    BBC Wales assistant politics editor

    Former UK Labour leader Lord Kinnock has welcomed the appointment of Eluned Morgan as head of the party in Wales.

    Neil Kinnock, the former MP for Islwyn, said Morgan had an “unshakable commitment to Wales”.

    In a statement to BBC Wales, Kinnock said: “Eluned has taken this on because of her duty to Labour and unshakable commitment to Wales.

    "Both of those instincts run through her like veins.

    "She is bright and brave with deep experience and total common sense - all vital assets in the high quality leadership she will show.”

  15. Welsh Labour in good hands with Morgan, says Gethingpublished at 15:57 British Summer Time 24 July

    Jack Grey
    BBC Wales News

    Outgoing First Minister Vaughan Gething has congratulated Eluned Morgan on her appointment as his replacement as Welsh Labour leader.

    "I know, that with decades of experience of public service in Wales, the party is in good hands," he writes on X.

    Gething announced last week that he was standing down after a series of controversies and the resignations of three cabinet members and his senior legal adviser

    Vaughan GethingImage source, Getty Images
  16. Analysis

    Morgan inherits no shortage of challengespublished at 15:49 British Summer Time 24 July

    Gareth Lewis
    BBC Wales political editor

    Once confirmed as first minister, Eluned Morgan will inherit her predecessor Vaughan Gething's challenges, along with some additional ones, but there is one ray of sunshine.

    Firstly, there is not a lot of money to go round for public services.

    Her government will face the familiar problems of how to keep the NHS ticking, trains running and fund everything else - including schools, local government and social care.

    She must also cultivate relationships with other parties and politicians in the Senedd to secure budget approvals, as Labour holds 30 of the 60 seats.

    It is not a great inheritance.

    However, the bright spot is having a relationship with a Labour prime minister in Keir Starmer - who is just starting his term in office with a massive majority.

    The luxury of a UK Labour government was something Vaughan Gething enjoyed only briefly, Mark Drakeford never had, and Carwyn Jones had for just five months.

  17. Who is Eluned Morgan?published at 15:38 British Summer Time 24 July

    Daniel Davies
    BBC Wales political correspondent

    Eluned Morgan, who's 57, was educated at Ysgol Glantaf in Cardiff and - with a scholarship - at the independent Atlantic College in the Vale of Glamorgan, a school favoured by European royalty.

    After university in Hull, she worked in television before becoming the youngest member of the European Parliament when elected aged 27 in 1994.

    Her ministerial biography says she was only the fifth full-time female politician from Wales – and the first from Wales to have a baby while in office.

    After representing Wales at the European Parliament for 15 years she was appointed to the House of Lords in 2011 where, as Baroness Morgan of Ely, she served as Labour's shadow Welsh minister.

    Eluned in 1994Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Eluned Morgan was elected to the European Parliament in 1994 at 27, becoming its youngest member

    Both her parents were local councillors and her father, Canon Bob Morgan, was also the local vicar in Ely in Cardiff, where she grew up. In 1981, he became the Labour leader of the now defunct South Glamorgan County Council, and 10 years later its chairman.

    In 2016 Morgan swapped the Westminster parliament for the Welsh one in Cardiff Bay - although it was still called the assembly at the time. She was elected for the Mid and West Wales region.

    In 2021, she inherited the devastating legacy of Covid and soaring waiting times as she was named health minister in Mark Drakeford's cabinet - a role she has held ever since.

    She is married to Rhys Jenkins, who is a priest and a GP, and they have two children.

  18. What does Wales’ first minister do?published at 15:29 British Summer Time 24 July

    Oliver Slow
    BBC Wales News

    A view of the Senedd, the Welsh parliament building in Cardiff,Image source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    The Senedd, the Welsh parliament building, is in Cardiff Bay

    When Eluned Morgan becomes first minister, what will her new job involve?

    The Welsh first minister is the equivalent in the Welsh government of the prime minister in the UK government.

    In fact, the Welsh word for the head of government in Wales is “prif weinidog”, literally translating to prime minister.

    They are the face of the Welsh government, leading the administration at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay – previously called the Welsh assembly - which was created following devolution in 1999.

    The first minister ultimately has the final say on policies related to devolved issues, including health, education and transport.

    She is control of a budget of about £20bn.

  19. Who supported Eluned Morgan?published at 15:22 British Summer Time 24 July

    David Deans
    BBC Wales politics reporter

    Any candidate for the Welsh Labour leadership usually needs the support of five other Members of the Senedd (MSs) to take part.

    But once it became clear there were no other candidates, there was no need for the list of nominations that we usually have to compile.

    Instead, MSs used the process to try to show the group was united behind the new leader.

    Of the group of 30, only Llanelli MS and former transport minister Lee Waters said he would not nominate anyone, having called for a wider debate in the party.

    Everyone else has offered their support except two: Hannah Blythyn, the former minister who was sacked by Vaughan Gething and who has not said anything publicly; and Gething, who was expected to stay out of the process as the ousted first minister.

  20. Morgan making history, says PM Keir Starmerpublished at 15:14 British Summer Time 24 July

    Jack Grey
    BBC Wales News

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Eluned Morgan's appointment is "fantastic news" for both Wales and the Labour Party.

    "Eluned brings with her a wealth of experience and track record of delivery and, as the first woman to lead Welsh Labour, she is already making history," he says.

    “Just three weeks ago, people across Wales voted overwhelmingly for a changed Labour Party to lead a government in Westminster.

    "We have a been given a strong mandate to deliver change for working people, and I look forward to working hand-in-hand with Eluned to deliver on our promises to Wales and Britain.”

    Keir StarmerImage source, Getty Images