THE Welsh First Minister’s Government has been thrown into crisis after the resignation of four ministers – who have urged the scandal-hit Labour politician to step down.
Vaughan Gething has been told to quit by Mick Antoniw, Julie James, Lesley Griffiths and Jeremy Miles after months of brewing discontent with the Welsh Labour leader over a donations row.
Last month, he lost a confidence vote in the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd, but did not step down.
Antoniw, who served as the Counsel General before quitting on Tuesday morning, said Gething had left the Parliament “rudderless”.
The First Minister has come under sustained criticism in recent months for his decision to sack former minister Hannah Blythyn, and over a series of rows concerning donations he took while running to be Welsh Labour leader.
This led to the collapse of a co-operation agreement between his party and Plaid Cymru and he subsequently lost a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Senedd.
In a letter quitting as Welsh economy secretary, Miles told Gething: “We cannot continue like this.”
Miles, who ran against Gething for the Welsh Labour leadership, added: “The events of the last few months including your loss of the confidence vote in the Senedd, have been incredibly painful.
“It’s essential that we begin to repair the damage immediately, and I have reached the conclusion very regrettably that this cannot happen under your leadership.
“I can’t see any way forward for us which allows us to get on with job we are elected to do, without you standing down.”
He had fired Blythyn because he believed her to be the source of leaked text messages which were reported by the Welsh news site Nation.Cymru.
She denied this and the episode, along with Gething’s refusal to pay back a donation of £200,000 he had received from a company convicted of environmental offenses, triggered the collapse of Labour’s power-sharing deal with Plaid Cymru.
After just 78 days as First Minister, Gething lost a confidence vote in the Senedd but refused to step down.
