Vaughan Gething latest news: First Minister of Wales resigns in chaos for Starmer’s Labour

Hefin David, one of the prime minister’s staunchest allies on the Labour benches in the Senedd, said Vaughan Gething had “acted with incredible dignity” but it was now time for him to go.

He said: “He listened to the voices of those who left his government and decided to step down. I think he did what he thought was in the best interests of Wales, that was his choice. Naturally, as a Vaughan supporter, I am disappointed.”

“What we need to do is come together and act for the people of Wales, whether that’s on the cost of living, the NHS, education, but most importantly Tata Steel. It’s really important that we continue to work on this and I’m confident that Vaughan, in his final term as First Minister, and whoever takes over, will continue to do that.”

He added that Mr Gething’s departure was “now in the best interests of Wales so we can concentrate on policy”.

Asked if he had a candidate in mind to replace the prime minister, he said it was “too early to think about it” and rejected calls from Plaid Cymru for an early election.

“It’s very dangerous to hold an election on that basis, I think it would open the door to chaos. We don’t want chaos, what we want is to serve the interests of the Welsh people.”

Yvette Cooper told fellow ministers after a cabinet meeting this morning that a “difficult summer is ahead” for small boat crossings.

More than 1,000 people have crossed the Channel since the Labour government was elected, according to official figures.

A report from today’s Cabinet meeting in Downing Street said: “The Home Secretary said small boat crossings had reached a record high in the first half of the year and pointed to a difficult summer ahead.

“Tackling illegal immigration has therefore been an important part of our European renewal, with the government working with European partners and agencies, including Europol, to tackle criminal gang networks and work to disrupt supply chains and illegal immigration upstream.”

Brexit opponents have warned that the latest figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirm that leaving the EU “has drained the vitality from the British economy”.

But the urgency of the problem seems to have been highlighted in the latest IMF projections.

According to the IMF, the UK grew by just 0.1% in 2023 and is expected to grow by just 0.7% by the end of the year. While growth is expected to double next year, according to the IMF, it will still only grow by 1.5%.

Our political editor David Maddox tells us the full story:

Mr Gething made a statement to the Senedd confirming his intention to resign as Welsh First Minister.

In his closing speech, Mr Gething said: “There will be and must be a government in the future that looks like the country it serves. A government for all of us, to make Wales a better place with and for all of us.”

As he finished his brief speech, members in the room applauded him.

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to deliver on his promise to increase defence spending “responsibly”.

The Prime Minister said: “I promised to deliver change. I promised action, not words. One of my first steps is to launch the Strategic Defence Review to strengthen and respect our armed forces, responsibly increase defence spending and keep you safe.”

“A new approach to confronting international threats head on.”

The move comes as Sir Keir came under fire after refusing to set a timetable for a defence review and spending increase.

Rishi Sunak He was warned he was losing control of his own MPs after being hit by a mass strike in the final days of his premiership.

A sign of the pressure Mr Sunak was under before he shocked Westminster by calling for a snap vote general electionThe Prime Minister at the time was told that the situation was untenable.

In one day alone, Conservative whips received a request for around 200 Tory MPs – more than half the parliamentary party – will be exempted from voting, a former senior Downing Street official has said.

This expression refers to allowing MPs to miss a scheduled vote, often by ‘pairing’ them with an opposition MP who is also absent from Westminster that day.

Kate Devlin, editor of Out Whitehall, tells us the full story:

Unions expect the King’s Speech to deliver further progress on workers’ rights and other employment measures promised by Labour in the run-up to the general election.

A jobs bill is expected to be among the raft of bills unveiled by the new government on Wednesday.

Measures should include a ban on unfair zero-hours contracts and fire-and-rehire policies, improvements to statutory sick pay and the minimum wage, and rights from day one to protection against unfair dismissal.

The bill will draw heavily on the New Deal for Working People, a policy document promoted by the Labour Party in the run-up to the general election.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), said: “It is essential that the King’s Speech contains substantial, ‘ready to implement’ legislation to deliver Labour’s New Deal for working people. Words alone are not enough.”

“Workers are rightly expecting Keir Starmer to use the King’s Speech to set out a clear timetable for delivering on the manifesto commitment and repeated promises made before the general election on workers’ rights.”

Outgoing Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething said he remained confident in the Labour Party and was eager to see who would be chosen to replace him after he resigned earlier today.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Tuesday, he said his party had continued to work “despite all the noise”.

He added: “I am confident and positive about what my party can do in government and in front of the people of Wales in 2026.

“I look forward to my party choosing from each of its members, in a ‘one member, one vote’ election, who will decide who that person will be, but I will continue to do my duty for my country until a new person is chosen to take my place.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s review of Britain’s defences comes as the West faces a “dangerous quartet” of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, according to Nato chief Lord Robertson.

Our data correspondent Alicja Hagopian has the full analysis: