What happened Vaughan Gething has insisted he won't resign as Welsh first minister after losing a vote of no confidence called by the Conservatives last night.
He lost by 29 votes to 27 in the 60-member Senedd following "one of the most extraordinary debates in the 25 years of Welsh devolution", said the BBC. While Labour holds half of the seats with 30 members, two of Gething's backbenchers were off sick.
Who said what Gething dismissed the non-binding motion as a "gimmick" and said he would "carry on" doing his duty. During the "largely bruising" debate Gething was seen "weeping" and "dabbing both eyes", with colleagues "reaching out to comfort him", said Wales Online.
After Liz Truss and Humza Yousaf, will Gething be the next UK leader to "find himself out of office in a record space of time", asked James Heale in The Spectator.
The outcome could be uncomfortable for Labour leader Keir Starmer, said the BBC, as a Labour first minister losing a vote of "this magnitude – non-binding or not" might be "one hurdle too far on Sir Keir's careful path to power".
What next? Gething can choose to "do nothing" and be "constantly reminded" that the Senedd does not have confidence in him, or "resign and trigger yet more political upheaval", said Sky News.
The Conservatives could still bring a vote of no confidence in the entire Welsh government. |