Welsh leadership: Ken Skates says general election win is crucial
- Published
Former Welsh government minister Ken Skates says the next first minister of Wales must make the general election their main focus
An immediate focus of the new first minister should be the upcoming general election, believes the man once tipped for the role.
Ken Skates said helping to "turf out the Tories" in Westminster will be "vital" for the leadership winner.
Jeremy Miles and Vaughan Gething are battling to become Welsh Labour leader, after Mark Drakeford resigned.
Mr Skates said "2024 is primarily about ensuring we win the UK general election".
While there is no firm date for the poll, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently suggested it is likely to take place in the second half of this year.
Mr Skates emphasised the importance of having Labour governments in Cardiff and Westminster working together to bring about change in Wales.
"One of them has to win this election, and we're all going to get behind the winner and form the strongest possible Labour government we can," he told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement programme.
"In turn, also support our parliamentary candidates as well to turf out the Tories at Westminster."
Clwyd South MS Mr Skates spent eight years in ministerial roles, and was tipped to potentially run to become first minister in 2018.
In the end, he supported Mark Drakeford after ruling himself out of the race.
Mr Skates stepped away from the Welsh government cabinet in 2021, to gain a better work-life balance, claiming he would still be in his role if job-sharing was allowed.
He is backing Vaughan Gething, the man who replaced him as economy minister, to be the next first minister.
Jeremy Miles and Vaughan Gething are both running to be Wales' next leader
Mr Skates said focusing efforts on high-growth areas of the economy and boosting employment opportunities would in turn provide more tax revenue to be used on public services.
"Once we have that UK Labour government in place, we have to have a first minister that can work constructively with the UK Labour government and impress upon that government what it is that Wales needs," he said.
When asked whether the arrival of a Labour UK government would take away the option of blaming tough economic decisions on the Conservative party, Mr Skates admitted there were "major challenges we have to face" including "disastrous" economic legacies and threats of privatisation of parts of the NHS in Wales.
"We do need somebody there protecting the NHS and making very clear, under their watch, that it will never be privatised," he said.
Mr Skates said he was politically similar to Mr Miles, "so you wouldn't be surprised that I wouldn't object to a lot of his policies".
But he added he was backing Mr Gething due to his "personal values".
"He's rooted in the Labour party, he was there at the outset of devolution, he's rooted in the trade union, and he's always fought for the underdog," he said.
"He was also, on a personal level, very supportive of myself and he's got the values, the vision, the personal experience, the strength to be able to do this job."
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