Mark Drakeford is standing down as Welsh Labour leader
He has held the position for exactly five years after succeeding Carwyn Jones, who resigned in 2018
He says leading Welsh Labour and the Welsh government has been "a huge privilege"
Mr Drakeford will stay on as first minister of Wales until his successor is appointed, which will be done by the spring
He was elected as an Assembly Member for Cardiff West in 2011
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Gareth Lewis
Political Editor, BBC Wales
There are two early frontrunners for the role of first minister - Economy Minister Vaughan Gething and Education Minister Jeremy Miles.
But they are experiencing difficulties of their own.
Mr Gething faces another grilling at the Covid inquiry in the spring over his previous role as health minister - he had a tough time of it earlier this year.
Mr Miles had to defend the Welsh government's record as recently as last week after poor Pisa results and post-pandemic attendance in schools.
Read more here.
Mark Drakeford has said that he will remain as a Member of Senedd (MS) until the next Welsh Parliament election in 2026.
Speaking to Newyddion S4C, he said he would resign as leader of Welsh Labour and as first minister in the new year.
But Mr Drakeford said he would continue to represent his constituency of Cardiff West until the end of the Senedd term.
Image source, PA MediaMark Drakeford has said he is "proud" to have been associated with "progressive" policies during his time in Welsh government.
"Whether that's organ donation, whether it's banning the physical punishment of children, whether it's 20mph zones, or free school meals in our primary schools,” he said.
"We have broken new ground in Wales in progressive politics."
Image source, Getty ImagesIntroducing 20mph zones earlier this year is one of the "progressive" moves Mark Drakeford says he is proud to have implemented
Mark Drakeford has said he wants a new Welsh Labour leader in place ahead of the next general election.
He told BBC News the general election had been “much in my mind” when deciding to resign.
“I think it is better, in Wales, that people know the person who will look to work alongside Keir Starmer,” he said.
“Because, of course, I very much hope it will be a Labour victory at that general election.”
Mark Drakeford has denied that the 20mph policy had anything to do with his decision to resign, in an interview with BBC News.
“The 20mph policy is the right policy, it will save lives here in Wales,” he said.
“When people look back on all of this, I think they will see that this was another example of Wales with a progressive government being at the forefront of developments."
He added: "I think people will look back and say, 'whatever was the fuss about?'”
From handling Wales' response to the Covid pandemic, to visiting Qatar after Wales made the FIFA World Cup, Mark Drakeford's role as first minister has been varied.
Here are just a few pictures from his time in the role.
Image source, PA MediaFirst Minister Mark Drakeford serving lunches at Ysgol Y Preseli in Pembrokeshire at the launch of universal free school meals
Image source, Getty ImagesCampaigning in Barry with former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in December 2019
Image source, IOLO PENRIDrakeford was inaugurated at the Tregaron National Eisteddfod in 2022, taking the poetic name Mark Pengwern
Image source, PA MediaMark Drakeford unveiling a giant Welsh bucket hat in Doha as part of Wales' 2022 World Cup campaign
The rules for the contest to succeed Mark Drakeford have not yet been formally announced.
But one Welsh Labour councillor has posted a thread to X, formerly Twitter, outlining how he thinks the process will play out.
Jamie Green, who represents Whitchurch and Tongwynlais on Cardiff council, said any potential candidate would need the support of 20% of Welsh Labour Senedd members - equating to six people - in the first instance.
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Lesley Griffiths MS, minister for rural affairs, has said she "certainly will not" be standing to replace Mark Drakeford as first minister.
"I think Mark is and has been an incredible leader," she said.
"Obviously there are still three months left to go - he's made it very clear that we have a huge amount of work to do before he stands down."
If you are just joining us, here's what we know so far:
Image source, Getty ImagesMark Drakeford has been the most high profile Welsh first minister since powers were transferred from Westminster to Cardiff in the late 1990s.
Instinctively quiet and understated, he was thrown into the limelight by coronavirus.
Suddenly he was facing cross-examination by the UK media on television - and requests from members of the public for selfies.
But he also became deeply unpopular with some people, particularly when his decisions differed from those in England and imposed stringent restrictions on the people of Wales.
Read more here.
Daniel Davies
BBC Wales political correspondent
Problems are piling up for this Welsh government.
It shows little sign of making meaningful inroads into sky-high NHS waiting times.
There is mounting evidence that Covid has blown a hole in children’s education.
Manifesto targets to build homes and create apprenticeships are not going to be met, ministers admit.
Train operator Transport for Wales is gobbling up a bigger taxpayer subsidy.
Cultural institutions are in crisis. A minister is being investigated over her response to one of them, at the Welsh Rugby Union.
And the public backlash against Wales’ 20mph law continues.
It’s all happening while inflation erodes the budget.
Arguably, none of this is Mark Drakeford’s fault.
But it will be his successor’s job to get their government back on track.
Senedd Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies, says despite their political differences, he and Mr Drakeford "get on well".
Although the two have clashed in the Senedd - including one memorable moment when the first minister lost his temper - Mr Davies believes "what you do in the debating chamber should stay in the debating chamber".
He added: "I'd like to think that we've had a good personal relationship in the time that I've been leader of the Conservatives and he's been first minister."
Image source, PA MediaDavid Deans
BBC Wales politics reporter
The rules for the contest to succeed Mark Drakeford are yet to be set in stone.
Welsh Labour’s ruling body – the Welsh Executive Committee – will meet on Wednesday evening to start the process.
Candidates will likely need a combination of endorsements from other Labour Senedd members, local parties and organisations affiliated to the party.
Only Labour Senedd members will be able to stand.
Gareth Lewis
Political Editor, BBC Wales
Quote MessageIt had been coming, but this side of Christmas is still something of a surprise. Mark Drakeford has always said he would stand down halfway through this Senedd term, but his announcement comes only six days before the Welsh government’s draft budget. The UK general election might play into the thinking - the earlier Welsh Labour can choose a new leader, the less likely there will be a clash. And as for legacy - park the recent controversy over 20mph and more Senedd members for now, for many people in Wales he will go down as the Covid first minister
Image source, Getty ImagesMark Drakeford's predecessor Carwyn Jones told BBC Radio Cymru Dros Ginio that if Mr Drakeford had waited to longer resign, there could have been simultaneous general election and leadership election and “nobody would want to see that”.
“Mark is someone I believe has made a big impression on people's lives,” he said.
“Of course he had to deal with a major crisis... and overcame that with respect.
“To be honest it is a personal victory for any politician, in my opinion, that you can choose the time when you leave office.”
Looking forward, he added there “are several people in my opinion who could do the job”.
Gareth Lewis
Political Editor, BBC Wales
After riding high in the polls after his handling of the pandemic, Mark Drakeford’s popularity was brought back down to earth over transport in his final year.
The default 20mph speed limit has been hugely controversial, so too a ban on major new road-building projects and an extra £125m to keep the trains running.
Also, his handling of Covid - especially around discharge to care homes - could come under intense scrutiny during the Covid inquiry early next year.
At the start of today’s business in the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd’s presiding officer Elin Jones said it was “business as usual” following Mr Drakeford's announcement.
She added: "It is business as usual, we had a first minister answering first minister's questions yesterday and we will have the same first minister answering questions when we reconvene in January.
“For now then let us thank Mark for his leadership of Welsh government thus far, and that we await with interest his final months of activity in office in the New Year."
Image source, PA MediaPrime Minister Rishi Sunak praised Mark Drakeford for his "many, many years of devoted public service" in the House of Commons today.
Sir Keir Starmer called him a "colleague and friend" who committed his life to public service, calling him a titan of Welsh and Labour politics.
Sunak and Starmer pay tribute to Drakeford’s career in Welsh politics
Felicity Evans
BBC Wales
The sudden death of Mark Drakeford’s wife, Clare, in January this year led to speculation about his departure as well as sympathy over his bereavement.
The couple had been married for 46 years and he was very open about his grief.
Many people wondered whether this would lead him to announce that he was standing down at Welsh Labour’s spring conference in March.
Instead, in an emotional speech, he told his party that despite carrying “the intolerable burden of grief” he felt the “duty” to carry on working to achieve Labour’s goals.