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BBC Wales reports that Vaughan Gething’s former rival, Jeremy Miles, is likely to stand in the upcoming Welsh Labour Party leadership election.
A source close to Mr Miles, one of four people who resigned from the Welsh government and urged Mr Gething to resign, said others were encouraging him to stand.
Two of Mr Gething’s supporters say the former economy minister is unable to unite the group and cannot become the next prime minister.
Article informationauthor, David Deanrole, BBC Wales News Political Reporter
Updated 4 hours ago
The Welsh Government announced late on Wednesday how it would fill the vacancies, mainly by expanding current ministerial posts.
Jack Sargent joined the Government for the first time as a junior member of the government, while Jane Bryant was promoted to Minister for Local Government.
Hugh Ilanka-Davies, who has been mentioned as a possible successor to Mr Gething, also did not deny that he was out of the running.
Transport Secretary Ken Skates is thought to be considering a run, while former Attorney-General Mik Antoniou, one of the four who resigned, has declined to run.
The opposition parties are calling for the Prime Minister to take up the vacant post.
Meanwhile, former Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said Mr Gething was “haunted” by the decision he had made and could never shake it.
Alan Michael, a former Welsh chief executive, said Mr Gething had been “pushed out”.
As a result, he was moved from his post as Minister of Education to Minister of Economy under the new Prime Minister.
During the election campaign, Mr Trump refused to comment on a £200,000 donation from a controversial waste management company that has been convicted of environmental crimes, but a month later he said he had not received the money.
On Monday, the day before he resigned, he repeatedly failed to back Mr Gething in an interview.
“The events of the past few months, including the defeat of the confidence vote in the Senate, have been incredibly difficult,” Miles said in a letter to the prime minister explaining his reasons for resigning.
“This is undermining the vital work of the Welsh Government and damaging our party.”
A date for the contest has yet to be set, but Gething said his successor would be in place by the autumn.
“Die in a ditch”
But two of the Prime Minister’s supporters told BBC Wales that Mr Miles’ involvement in Mr Gething’s resignation made him unfit to be Prime Minister.
One Gething supporter suggested he would “rather die in a ditch” than have Mr Miles become leader.
They said they hoped Eluneed Morgan would run, saying she was a master communicator who could connect the party with Labor’s traditional supporters.
Another supporter said Mr Miles was unable to unite the party and there was a “strong feeling that someone associated with a bloody knife should not have a claim to the throne”.
They added: “I am really concerned about what this means for non-white people in the world, the UK and especially Wales.”
“Apparently some guy pulled out a dagger and knifed Vaughn without giving him a chance. I think that’s really hard to deal with.”
In response, a Miles supporter said: “Those who tried so hard to stop Jeremy last time appear to be continuing with their usual business. Let the MPs decide.”
Last year, Miles received more nominations from Labour senators than Gething, with 16 to Gething’s 10.
Another supporter of Mr Miles said it was “unbelievable” that Mr Gething would continue in government into the summer because he had lost the support of “the group, the cabinet and the Senedd”.
“That cannot be ignored, nor can key decisions continue to be made under a succession of caretaker ministers as if the political geography has not changed.”
analysis
Semlyn Davis, political reporter
It was so close four months ago that it is no surprise to hear that Jeremy Miles is “likely” to run again for Welsh Labour leader.
But he will know that some of Vaughan Gething’s loyalists in the Senedd Labour group feel that Miles played a part in their leader’s downfall and are strongly opposed to him becoming leader.
But as long as enough Labour MPs support him – and most did last time – his opponents will not be able to stop him from appearing on the ballot paper.
It will then be up to party members to decide whether he should lead the party.
Meanwhile, I have heard differing accounts of the series of events that ultimately led to Mr Gething’s decision to resign.
Sources said three of the ministers who resigned on Tuesday morning – including Miles – had tried to meet Mr Gething beforehand in the hope that their resignations could be averted, but he would not meet with them.
However, the prime minister’s aides said no such request for a meeting had been made.
The decision has been troubling him.
Mark Drakeford told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that the “decisions” made by Mr Gething were “harrowing to him”.
“They lived with him for weeks and months, but he never forgot his original decision.
“In the end, he made a very difficult decision, but I think it was the right decision, that he would never get to a point where he could focus on doing what he wanted to do in the way that he wanted to do it without these stories always being a filter through which the news was being reported as his first minister.”
Mr Drakeford said a leadership election must take place and he was “against a coronation”.
He added: “I think this will be a cathartic experience for the Labour party and I think the public will benefit from seeing a potential candidate for leadership.”
There is discussion about whether a caretaker First Minister would be installed in the summer, but Mr Drakeford said Mr Gething should be allowed to stay on in order to avoid “further replacement”.
When asked, he said he would “absolutely not” be given an interim role.
Iranka Davis hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running, but said it’s “premature to speculate.”
Political consultant Cathy Owens, without naming any individuals, said it would be difficult for someone involved in “parts of misconduct” and “animosity” to become leader of Welsh Labour.
Mr Owens, who served as an adviser to the late Prime Minister Rhode Morgan, said Labour needed a candidate from Marks & Spencer because while it was “not everybody’s favourite store”, nobody hated it.
She said the next leader “must unite the party while negotiating with the opposition.”
“There are a lot of people who are very angry and very frustrated that Mr Vaughan has effectively been ousted,” Michael, who led the Labour government in the Welsh Assembly from 1999 to 2000, told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight.
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Andrew R. T. Davies, leader of the Conservative party in the Welsh Senate, said an interim government needed to be appointed because “the public will naturally want to know how these ministers will carry out their duties until a new First Minister is elected”.
Plaid Cymru claims Labour has now “lost its rudder” and reiterated calls for a Senedd election to be held.
Pride’s Lil Gruffudd said: “Today is the last day of Parliament before the summer recess and the Prime Minister must come to the House of Lords and set out his plans so that we can at least have a functioning government.”
Cabinet reshuffle
In a cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, Jack Sargent joined the government for the first time as Minister for Social Partnership.
Ken Skates, who is already Transport Secretary, will take on the additional role of Economy Secretary, formerly held by Jeremy Miles.
Newport West MS, Jane Bryant, will be promoted to cabinet member for local government and housing.
Sarah Murphy will become Minister for Mental Health and Early Childhood.
Jane Hutt’s role will be expanded, taking over from Lesley Griffiths, and she will also be Chief Whip and Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice.
There is currently no successor in place to replace Mikk Antoniou as attorney general.
Gething said he would continue to oversee discussions with Tata Steel.
Why did Vaughan Gething resign?
Mr Gething announced on Tuesday that he would step down as First Minister and that a new leader would be installed in the autumn.
This came after four cabinet ministers simultaneously resigned and demanded that the prime minister take similar action.
He will continue to lead the Welsh Government until a successor is chosen.
In his resignation speech, Gething denied any wrongdoing and said he regretted “that the burden of proof no longer has any significant meaning in our political language.”
“In my 11 years as minister, I have never taken a decision for personal gain.
“I have never misused or abused my responsibilities as a minister.”
Mr Michael, who stepped down as Welsh Labour chief executive in 2000, was a friend of Mr Gething and said he had spoken to him on Tuesday.
“He is very sad and very sorry that he did not get the help he needed,” he said.
“There are good people in the Senate” who could be candidates for leadership, including Morgan and Iranka Davis, Michael said.
The Welsh Labour governing party is due to meet at the weekend to announce a timetable for the leadership election.