Welsh Labour leadership election voting closes

Eluned Morgan, Vaughan Gething or Mark Drakeford will succeed Carwyn Jones next week

Voting in the Welsh Labour leadership election has ended.

Three candidates - Eluned Morgan, Vaughan Gething and Mark Drakeford - are in the running to succeed Carwyn Jones, who steps down next week.

Around 175,000 people have been given the right to vote in the election through their membership of the party or affiliated trade unions.

The winner, who will be set to become Wales's next first minister, will be announced in Cardiff on Thursday.

Voting ended at midday - most ballots are expected to have been cast online.

About 25,000 Welsh Labour members got a vote, while an approximate 150,000 took take part through affiliated trade unions.

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Carwyn Jones, who has led Welsh Labour and the Welsh Government for nine years, announced his intention to stand down at the Welsh Labour conference in April.

His final First Minister's Questions is expected to take place on Tuesday 11 December. He will tender his resignation to the Queen via email later that afternoon.

That comes into effect whenever the palace replies. It is likely that could be overnight on the Tuesday, but there is no set timeframe.

His successor as Welsh Labour leader would then be nominated and likely to be endorsed as the new first minister by the Senedd on Wednesday 12 December.

It is expected that two opposition parties will nominate their own leaders for the position.

Plaid Cymru has said it will nominate Adam Price, while a spokesman for the Welsh Conservatives confirmed the Tory group would also nominate Paul Davies.

However, this would largely be symbolic, as the Labour-led Welsh Government holds a majority in the assembly with the support of Liberal Democrat Kirsty Williams and independent AM Lord Elis-Thomas.