The first minister of Wales, Vaughan Gething, has announced his resignation, only four months after taking the job. It comes after three of his Welsh government ministers and his top legal adviser dramatically released resignation statements, calling for him to stand down.
Mr Gething has been embroiled in controversy since he took over in March, and has been dogged by questions over a £200,000 campaign donation from a businessman convicted of environmental offences.
In his resignation statement he denied wrongdoing, adding: “I regret that the burden of proof is no longer an important commodity in the language of our politics.” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer thanked Mr Gething for his service as leader, adding: “I know what a difficult decision this has been for him, but I also know he has made it because he feels it is the best decision now for Wales.
Cabinet members Mick Antoniw, Lesley Griffiths, Julie James and Jeremy Miles all resigned from their positions on Tuesday morning, and called on Mr Gething to quit. Just before his resignation, Mr Gething had released evidence he said he relied upon when he took the decision to sack Hannah Blythyn as a minister, who he claimed had leaked messages from a ministerial group chat to the media. His sacking of Ms Blythyn was one of the controversies which increased pressure on him.
Source: BBC
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