Writing for Chamber UK News, Head of Corporate Affairs, Craig Lawton, takes a look at what we can expect from new First Minister Eluned Morgan. 6th September 2024

 

After a Welsh Labour leadership contest and a UK General Election, there was an expectation that the remainder of Summer 2024 would be a quieter one. That was swiftly interrupted however when, in mid-July, Vaughan Gething announced his intention to step down as First Minister.

Less than four months after his appointment to the role, we were presented with the prospect of a second Welsh Labour leadership in just a matter of months.

With unity desperately needed within Welsh Labour’s Senedd ranks, it soon became clear that support was building behind the joint ticket of Eluned Morgan and Huw Irranca-Davies.

It soon became mathematically impossible for another candidate to enter the race, and Eluned Morgan was formally sworn is as the First Minister with Climate Change Minister Huw Irranca-Davies as Deputy First Minister.

But with such a short nomination period and no public campaigning before the result was confirmed, there remain significant questions about what we can expect from the new First Minister.

 

Inter-governmental working

Eluned Morgan’s initial actions point to a clear focus on inter-governmental working now that we have Labour-led governments at both ends of the M4.

Her appointment of former Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan as a key Special Advisor points towards the type of relationship she intends to have with both Westminster and Whitehall. A minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Brennan’s experience will be crucial to ensuring links between Keir Starner and Eluned Morgan remain open and collaborative at all times.

Significant experience across political administrations is by no means reserved for the new First Minister’s staff however. It flows through her experience as well as her Deputy’s.

Elected to the European Parliament in 1994, Morgan’s 15 years in the role saw her both lead the European Socialist Group’s budget scrutiny and act as Labour’s Energy and Industry spokesperson. She followed this by swiftly being elevated to the House of Lords in 2011 where she served as Shadow Minister for both Wales and Foreign Affairs.

Her experience does however extend beyond politics, with her having previously chaired the Cardiff Business Partnership and holding a role as a Director of energy company SWALEC before she entered the Senedd in 2016.

Similarly, Irranca-Davies, Wales’ Deputy First Minister, previously served in two ministerial positions in Gordon Brown’s government.

We can therefore be assured that Welsh Government’s new leadership team is well versed in the administration and workings of not just devolved governments, but those of UK Government as well.

 

A New Approach

Within days of taking office, Morgan made a number of temporary appointments to her Cabinet. These essentially filled a small number of gaps. The current Cabinet therefore remains the one predominantly appointed by her predecessor.

This suggests that when a full reshuffle is made- with one expected in the coming weeks- we could well see changes to both personnel and portfolios.

Morgan’s portfolio changes will give us a much stronger indication of her focus over the remainder of this Senedd term and beyond. Could she, for example, once again the roles of Economy and Transport? Similarly, Housing, Local Government and Planning has seen a number of changes in recent years and could yet see more.

With his commitment to Climate Change, we are however likely to see Irranca-Davies retain this in addition to his new Deputy First Minister responsibilities.

 

Representing All of Wales

Morgan’s appointment as First Minister represents a number of firsts.

She is of course the first women to hold the role of First Minister in Wales. However, this is also the first time we have seen a First Minister who represents an area outside of South Wales since 2000.

Both of these points were strongly referenced in her inaugural speech which set out her intent to “champion voices and experiences that have too often been sidelined and silenced”, and to “champion parts of Wales that too often feel like they’re on the periphery.”

With there being no formal leadership contest set out her key commitments and proposals, we can expect the first few weeks of the Senedd’s Autumn term to be used as further opportunities for Morgan to further set out her stall to both the Senedd and the country.

 

Record as Health Minister

What we can be certain of is that opposition parties will look to use her record as Health Minister when scrutinising her decisions and judgement.

Having held the role for over three years, she has overseen significant challenges at the troubled Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board in North Wales as well as increasing waiting lists and ambulance response times.

However, Morgan will be able to point to the strong leadership she showed in this role as yet another reason for her being well placed to lead Wales.

Over the coming weeks we are likely to see her moving the narrative away from her record to date and on to her plans for the future.

 

This article first appeared on Chamber UK News on 5^th September 2024. You can access the original publication here