The 2024 Welsh government crisis was a political crisis that led to the resignation of Vaughan Gething as First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour on 16 July 2024, after 118 days in office. The crisis arose from multiple controversies surrounding Gething's leadership, culminating in the coordinated resignation of four senior cabinet ministers who declared they had lost confidence in his ability to govern.
The crisis originated during Gething's February–March 2024 Welsh Labour leadership election campaign when he received a £200,000 donation from David John Neal, a businessman twice convicted of environmental offences. Subsequent controversies included allegations that Gething had misled the COVID-19 inquiry about deleting text messages, his dismissal of minister Hannah Blythyn over leaked messages without a formal inquiry, and concerns about potential conflicts of interest relating to government loans to Neal's companies.
These scandals led to the breakdown of the co-operation agreement between Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru in May 2024, leaving Gething leading a minority government. On 5 June 2024, Gething lost a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Senedd by 29 votes to 27, becoming only the second First Minister in Welsh devolution history to face such a vote. Despite initially refusing to resign and describing the motion as a "gimmick", his position became untenable on 16 July when four senior ministers—Jeremy Miles, Mick Antoniw, Julie James, and Lesley Griffiths—resigned within hours of each other.
Gething's resignation made him the shortest-serving First Minister in the 25-year history of Welsh devolution. He was succeeded by Eluned Morgan, who was elected unopposed as Welsh Labour leader and appointed First Minister on 6 August 2024. The crisis occurred just two weeks after Keir Starmer's Labour Party won the 2024 United Kingdom general election, highlighting tensions within the broader Labour movement during a period of political transition.
Background
Gething's rise to power
Vaughan Gething became First Minister of Wales on 20 March 2024 following his victory in the February–March 2024 Welsh Labour leadership election, succeeding Mark Drakeford who had announced his resignation in December 2023. Gething won the leadership contest by a narrow margin of 51.7% to 48.3% against his main rival Jeremy Miles, with a low overall turnout of 16.1%.
The leadership election was notable for its divisive nature within Welsh Labour, with Miles receiving support from the majority of Labour Members of the Senedd (MSs). Gething's victory was aided by securing nominations from all of the "Big Six" trade unions, following a controversial Unite union nomination process in which Miles was deemed ineligible under a rule requiring nominees to have been "lay officials". Miles claimed he was unfairly blocked from the union nomination, with an unnamed Unite official describing Gething's nomination as a "shocking mess".
Early controversies and mounting pressure
From the outset of his tenure, Gething faced significant political challenges that would later contribute to the crisis. His appointment coincided with Welsh Labour governing as a minority administration, holding 30 of the 60 Senedd seats and requiring cooperation agreements with other parties to pass legislation effectively.
The Neal donation controversy
The most significant early controversy arose during Gething's leadership campaign when it was revealed in February 2024 that he had received a campaign donation of £200,000 from David John Neal, a businessman who had previously been convicted twice of environmental offences as head of two companies, Atlantic Recycling and Neal Soil Suppliers. The donation came from Dauson Environmental Group in two instalments of £100,000 each in December 2023 and January 2024.
Neal had been described in court as showing "a lack of respect for the rules we enforce and for the health of the environment" by Natural Resources Wales officials. The donation immediately drew criticism from within Welsh Labour, with Lee Waters, who had supported Jeremy Miles in the leadership contest, describing it as "completely unjustifiable and wrong".
Historical connections and conflict of interest concerns
The controversy deepened in March 2024 when BBC Wales revealed letters written by Gething in 2016 and 2018 to Natural Resources Wales, requesting the public body to ease restrictions on Atlantic Recycling whilst Gething was serving in the Welsh Government. This revelation raised questions about potential conflicts of interest, particularly as former Welsh Government minister Leighton Andrews called the donations "damaging devolution" and urged Gething to return the money.
Further concerns emerged in April 2024 when it was revealed that companies owned by Neal had received "huge" loans from the Development Bank of Wales, including a £400,000 loan made in February 2023 to fund the purchase of a solar farm. The Development Bank fell under Gething's remit as economy minister during his time in the post from May 2021 to March 2024. This raised concerns that money lent by the Development Bank of Wales may have effectively ended up being donated to Gething's leadership campaign.
The COVID-19 messages controversy
During the inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic response, Gething stated that he had not deliberately deleted any messages from his phone. However, on 7 May 2024, Nation.Cymru obtained text messages from Gething in a Welsh Government group chat, in which he said "I'm deleting the messages in this group. They can be captured in an FOI [Freedom of Information request] and I think we are all in the right place on the choice being made." Gething denied allegations of perjury put to him by Rhun ap Iorwerth in First Minister's Questions the same day, describing the allegations as 'obnoxious'.
A few days later, Gething removed Hannah Blythyn from her role as Minister for Social Partnership, alleging that she was the leak of the text messages. Blythyn denied this; she was replaced by Sarah Murphy on 17 May.
Breakdown of the co-operation agreement
On 17 May 2024, Rhun ap Iorwerth announced that Plaid Cymru had withdrawn from the co-operation agreement with Welsh Labour, six months earlier than intended. Ap Iorwerth stated: "I remain deeply concerned that the First Minister has failed to pay back the £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a company convicted of environmental offences, and believe it demonstrates a significant lack of judgment."
This withdrawal left Gething leading a minority administration, weakening his position significantly and making it much more difficult to pass legislation.
Government crisis and resignation The vote of no confidence
On 5 June 2024, after just 78 days as First Minister, Gething faced a non-binding vote of no-confidence in him as First Minister, tabled by the Welsh Conservatives led by Andrew RT Davies. With Welsh Labour holding 30 of the 60 Senedd seats and Plaid Cymru having withdrawn from their co-operation agreement, the outcome depended on Labour attendance. Gething lost the vote by a margin of 29 votes to 27.
Vote breakdown The motion was carried by 29 votes to 27: a majority of 2. The Welsh Conservatives (16 MSs), Plaid Cymru (12 MSs), Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds (1 MS), and independent MS Rhys ab Owen (1 MS) all voted in favour of the no-confidence motion. Labour's defeat was caused by the absence of two Labour MSs who were unable to vote due to illness: Hannah Blythyn and Lee Waters. The remaining 27 Labour MSs who were present voted against the motion. Neither the Presiding Officer of the Senedd nor the Deputy Presiding Officer participated in the vote, as is standard practice.
Motion of no confidence in the First Minister Ballot → 5 June 2024 Required majority → 29 out of 56 voting MSs Sources: Wales Online, Nation.Cymru
Prior to the vote, Gething and his allies dismissed the no-confidence motion as a "transparent gimmick". During the debate, Gething became visibly emotional, wiping tears from his eyes as Labour MS Vikki Howells spoke in his defence. Rebecca Evans passed him a tissue, and he was observed drinking water as he "composed himself". During the debate, Gething told the Senedd: "I am human, I am fallible... It hurts deeply when my intentions are questioned." Following the defeat, Gething stated: "I'm here, proud to be the first minister of Wales to serve and lead my country." The motion was only the third such vote in the Senedd's history, the first two being against Alun Michael in 1999 and 2000.
Continued leadership and mounting pressure
Despite losing the no-confidence vote, Gething announced on 8 June that he would not resign as First Minister. Under the Government of Wales Act 2006, Gething was legally entitled to remain in post as there is only a requirement to resign following a vote of no confidence in the whole government, not specifically in the First Minister.
However, the defeat left Gething leading "a Labour group in the Senedd that was riddled by deep divisions" with a minority government that "lacked any credible partners". Having lost the confidence of the Senedd, political observers noted that Gething's fall appeared to be "only a matter of time".
The final collapse: 16 July 2024
Morning resignations
On the morning of 16 July 2024, Gething's position became untenable when four senior cabinet ministers resigned in coordinated fashion, each posting resignation letters on social media calling for him to step down.
The resignations began with Mick Antoniw, the Counsel General for Wales, who accused Gething of providing "rudderless" leadership. Antoniw stated: "Wales needs confident and stable government. I do not believe you are capable of delivering that... You have lost a vote of confidence in the Senedd. That is something I regard as being of major constitutional importance."
Housing Secretary Julie James followed, stating that Gething's premiership "threatens the continued existence of the devolution journey itself". Her resignation letter expressed deep concerns about "the circumstances surrounding certain campaign donations you received; the outcome of the vote of no confidence; and the sacking of a ministerial colleague for leaking when no formal leak inquiry had taken place".
Most significantly, Jeremy Miles, Gething's former leadership rival and Economy Secretary, resigned with a critical assessment. Miles stated: "We cannot continue like this... The events of the last few months, including your loss of the confidence vote in the Senedd, have been incredibly painful... 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." Lesley Griffiths, the Culture Secretary, also resigned, citing the fractured relationships within the government.
Gething's resignation announcement
Just over an hour after the ministerial resignations, at approximately 12:43 PM, Gething announced his intention to resign. In a statement, he said: "I have this morning taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour Party and, as a result, First Minister. Having been elected as leader of my party in March, I had hoped that over the summer a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal could take place under my leadership. I recognise now that this is not possible."
In conclusion to his statement, Gething maintained his innocence, describing allegations against him as "pernicious, politically motivated and patently untrue". He stated: "In 11 years as a minister, I have never ever made a decision for personal gain... My integrity matters. I have not compromised it."
Support and opposition dynamics