Vaughan Gething appointed new Welsh First Minister - replacing outgoing Mark Drakeford

Welsh Labour's Vaughan Gething has been appointed First Minister of Wales after former leader Mark Drakeford stepped down from the role.

Gething, 50, was elected after he was nominated at the Senedd on Wednesday afternoon (March 20). He gained the full support of his governing party, as well as gaining the vote of the Lib Dem's Jane Dodds.

The Conservatives and Plaid Cymru backed their own candidates. This move was seen as largely symbolic, as neither party had enough votes in the parliament to confirm their nomination.

Gething will become the official First Minister after he writes to the King, at which point he will be sworn in and a cabinet will be formed. The appointment comes after Drakeford announced his intention to step down in December 2023.

In an emotional final speech, the now-former First Minster of Wales, who lost his wife Clare suddenly in January 2023, said: "The last 12 months have been the hardest and the saddest of my life... people will not see beyond the chamber those small acts of kindness that happened every day from people in every part of this chamber". We debate with a conviction of our own beliefs but, as human beings in this chamber, we are always, I believe, amongst friends."

Drakeford added: “My aim throughout, as First Minister, has been to use the mandate my party and my Government secured to keep the promises we made to people across Wales. That has meant being prepared to do the things that are difficult today because we know that the benefits will lie in the lives of the generations to come.” He was given a standing ovation after he concluded his last address to the Senedd.