The departure of Vaughan Gething as Welsh first minister was a short time coming. Mr Gething was forced to resign after just four months because of his high-handed behaviour towards political opponents and Labour colleagues, as well as his contempt for the norms of democracy. Mr Gething’s legacy is a divided Labour party in Wales, one riven by personal and ideological differences. These had been building for years. But the first minister’s actions only made the disagreements more disagreeable.
Although Welsh Labour won its 28th general election in a row this month, the results effectively sealed Mr Gething’s fate. On the surface, the Tories were routed in Wales, losing all 14 MPs. Yet this disguises the fragmentation of politics in the country. On the right of politics, the Conservatives haemorrhaged votes to Reform. While Labour’s vote share increased by 1.6% across the UK, in Wales it fell by 3.9% – with the nationalist Plaid Cymru and the Greens eating into the leftwing vote and increasing their shares by 4.9% and 3.7% respectively.
