Eluned Morgan has been confirmed as the new Welsh Labour Leader and, if supported by the Senedd (as expected), will be the first female First Minister. The peer and former Health Minister in the Welsh Government was crowned unopposed by the party. She’ll be hoping her time won’t be as impressively short-lived as Vaughan Gething’s…
Starmer has always stood by Vaughan Gething. He famously said:
“In Wales a Welsh Labour government is the living proof of what Labour looks like in power, how things can be done differently and better. Every day you demonstrate the difference that Labour makes a blueprint for what Labour can do across the United Kingdom.”
Over 118 days of being Starmer’s man in Cardiff, Gething managed to get a lot done. He:
- Took a dodgy donation to his campaign. Off to a terrible start…
- Went on holiday without spending a full day in the office or holding a cabinet meeting.
- Misled the Covid Inquiry.
- Fired a minister whom he accused of leaking Covid-era messages. That decision also dogged the entire rest of his stint…
- Started crying before losing a confidence vote.
- Issued defiant response to ministerial resignations, before resigning 20 minutes later.
Here’s to the next “living proof of Labour in government” as Wales prepares for a leadership election…
Welsh Labour ministers, led by Gething rival and Economy Secretary Jeremy Miles, are resigning from the government. Miles refused to back Vaughan Gething last night…
This morning Miles says he “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.” Ministers Mick Antoniw, Julie James, and Lesley Griffiths have also just resigned. Counsel General Antoniw is blistering: “I must advise you that I do not believe you can continue as First Minister. Wales needs confident and stable government. I do not believe you are capable of delivering that.”The debate over Hannah Blythyn’s sacking is ongoing – ripe opportunity to angle for a takeover…
The Welsh Tories are jumping at the news. “Vaughan Gething’s time as First Minister is rightly coming to an end”…
Read Miles’ full letter below:
Kill-joy Welsh Labour have taken the term nanny-state to new levels, proposing a ban on free refills, buy one get one free and multibuy offers on foods that may contain high sugar and salt. The crackdown targets everything from yoghurts and breakfast cereals to potato products, pizza, and milk/juice-based drinks. The list of life-threatening foods goes on…
If retailers dare to break these new rules, they’ll face a hefty fine of £2,500. Shops are also forbidden from placing ‘unhealthy’ foods in prime spots like aisle ends and store entrances. Sam Rowlands, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister said:
“Nanny state plans like these are a distraction from Labour’s atrocious NHS record here in Wales.These frankly over the top regulations will hit people in their pockets, exacerbating the cost of living for the poorest in society, yet Keir Starmer calls this his blueprint for Britain. While healthy eating is important, the Welsh Conservatives believe that you have a right to decide what you eat and drink. Clearly Labour do not.”
Prepare for these punitive measures to cross the border into England if Labour seize control of Downing Street this week…
A few months ago Guido happened across a bizarre promotion for the “Wales Metaverse” game in which internet users “can collect dragons, whilst learning about the must-visit sights“. The actual game involves a character running around an empty low-graphic island with random Visit Wales adverts dotted around…
It turns out that the “six-month trial” of the game, launched to “reach wider audiences“, cost the taxpayer £27,000, which includes spending £1,000 on virtual billboards in the game Roblox. For that cash only 5,000 have looked at the game, which means the taxpayer is footing about a fiver for every view. Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies hits out at the project: “We’ll have to give Labour an award for the most inventive way to flush taxpayers’ money down the drain.” Vaughan Gething is clearly taking a stab for the prize by flying himself and his team upper class to India and staying in a luxury hotel – all for a two-hour meeting…
A sobering article in Wales’ Western Mail describes the abject failure of cancer treatment in Wales. Macmillan Cancer Support warns that in the last few years the Welsh NHS, run by Labour, has been racking up records for late treatment of cancer patients. Waiting lists in May hit a record high as a fifth of the Welsh population sits in a queue for treatment. That’s compared to only one in eight across the border…
The next article over happens to be Welsh Labour’s Cabinet Secretary for Health, Eluned Morgan, touting her achievements in “making our NHS services more environmentally friendly“, including scoring a “Chief Nursing Officer’s Sustainability in Nursing and Midwifery” award for one local health board. Yet another app has been created in order to use less paper. Welsh Tory Leader Andrew RT Davies tells Guido it “beggars belief” that Morgan “is more focussed on this woke nonsense” than the cancer crisis. Maybe Labour politicians should focus on treating patients as opposed to patting themselves on the back for racking up eco-awards…
