Welsh Labour Party leadership election, 2018

Welsh Labour Party leadership election, 2018

9 November – 6 December 2018

Candidate Mark Drakeford Vaughan Gething Eluned Morgan

Leader before election Carwyn Jones Elected Leader TBC

The 2018 Welsh Labour Party leadership election is a forthcoming election to determine the next leader of the Welsh Labour Party.

Carwyn Jones, who has led Welsh Labour since 2009, announced his intention to resign at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno in April 2018. He stated that he will stand down in autumn 2018, and as such he will continue to lead the party until then.^[1]

Procedure

A special conference held on 15 September decided that the system that will be used for the election will be by one member one vote+. This means that the votes of party members and members of affiliated organisations who vote will carry the same weight. The decision by the special conference followed a consultation that was carried out by Lord Murphy.^[2]

Leadership candidates required 20% of current AMs to nominate them. This equated to six AMs, including themselves.^[3]

The election will conclude in December 2018 and the winner is expected to succeed Carwyn Jones as First Minister of Wales.

Campaign

Finance Secretary in the Welsh Government Mark Drakeford was the first candidate to declare he was standing, shortly after Jones announced he would be stepping down.^[5] He has the backing of Momentum, a group supportive of national leader Jeremy Corbyn, and has been described as both a "Corbynist" and as a pragmatist.^[5][6] Drakeford started the election as the favourite, though academic Roger Awan-Scully saying he may not necessarily remain to be.^[5][7]

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething announced his candidacy on 25 May, with the support of four members of the assembly, putting himself one nomination short of candidacy at the time of the announcement.^[8] He later achieved the required number of endorsements when Ann Jones announced her nominated him on 10 August.^[9]

Minister for Welsh Language & Lifelong Learning Eluned Morgan announced her intention to run on 11 June 2018 declaring herself to be a 'centre-left candidate'.^[10] She didn't receive any further nominations until Huw Irranca-Davies and Alun Davies, who had been standing for the leadership but received no public support from other AMs, withdraw to nominate her. At the same time, two other AMs nominated her, putting her one nomination short of the 20% requirement.^[11] After Gething received sufficient nominations, he asked that no further AMs nominate him, but instead to nominate a woman.^[12] He suggested that Drakeford himself could nominate Morgan to ensure diversity in the election.^[13] National party leader Jeremy Corbyn called for diversity in the choices offered to Welsh Labour members.^[14] On September 24th, at the Labour Conference in Liverpool, Carwyn Jones said that if necessary he would nominate Morgan to ensure that there was a woman on the ballot paper, making it clear that he would remain neutral as between the candidates.^[15]

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM Kirsty Williams had joined Welsh Labour in government following the 2016 assembly election as Cabinet Secretary for Education. She said that she would stay on in post if the same terms were available as those agreed with Carwyn Jones when she joined the government.^[16]

Drakeford and Morgan argued in favour of changing the voting system to one member one vote.^[17][18][19] Four trade unions—GMB, Unison, Usdaw and the CWU—supported the continuation of an electoral college, whilst Unite supported changing to one member one vote.^[20][21] At a special conference, the rules were changed to one member one vote.^[22]

Drakeford said he would act as a "bridge" to a new generation, and that he would stand aside midway through the next term of the assembly.^[23] Gething put focus on inter-generational poverty, and committed to improving productivity.^[23] Morgan said she would appoint a minister for north Wales, as well as increasing support for the self-employed.^[24]

Davies, Gething, Irranca-Davies and Morgan said they would support a public vote on the final Brexit deal if elected leader. Drakeford said it was too early to back a second referendum, though he didn't rule it out as an option, mirroring the national party's position.^[25][26]

Gething created a group separate to his leadership campaign called Together for Labour, which was accused of being a vehicle to keep data after the end of the leadership campaign.^[27]

Drakeford proposed a pilot of universal baby boxes like those used in Finland and Scotland.^[28] Gething pledged to create a National Care Service to deliver elderly care free at point of use, funded by tax increases or a new care levy.^[29]

Candidates

Candidate		Political roles	Nominations from AMs	Endorsements
Mark Drakeford[30]		AM for Cardiff West since 2011 Cabinet Secretary for Finance since 2016	17 / 29 58.6% Nominations Mick Antoniw[31] Hannah Blythyn[32] Jayne Bryant[33] Rebecca Evans[34] John Griffiths[31] Lesley Griffiths[35] Mike Hedges[31] Jane Hutt[31] Jeremy Miles[36] Julie Morgan[31] Julie James[31] Rhianon Passmore[31] Jenny Rathbone[31] Ken Skates[33] Jack Sargeant Lee Waters[32]	Endorsements MPs Kevin Brennan, MP for Cardiff West[37] Wayne David, MP for Caerphilly[38] Nia Griffith, MP for Llanelli[38] Albert Owen, MP for Ynys Môn[39] Anna McMorrin, MP for Cardiff North[40] Chris Ruane, MP for Vale of Clwyd[41] Mark Tami, MP for Alyn and Deeside[41] Trade unions CWU[42] UNISON[43] Unite[44] National Union of Mineworkers Council leaders Andrew Morgan, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Rob Stewart, leader of Swansea Council Former AMs Brian Gibbons, former AM for Aberavon[45] Edwina Hart, former AM for Gower[45] Catherine Thomas, former AM for Llanelli[46] Sue Essex, former AM for Cardiff North Christine Gwyther, former AM for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire[47] Gwyn R Price, former AM for Islwyn Gwenda Thomas, former AM for Neath Unaffiliated groups Momentum[48]
Vaughan Gething[6]		AM for Cardiff South and Penarth since 2011 Cabinet Secretary for Health & Social Services since 2016	6 / 29 20.7% Nominations Hefin David[8] Vikki Howells[8] Ann Jones[49] Lynne Neagle[8] Joyce Watson[8]	Endorsements MPs Owen Smith, MP for Pontypridd[50] Stephen Doughty MP for Cardiff South and Penarth Council leaders Huw Thomas, leader of Cardiff City Council[51] Anthony Hunt, leader of Torfaen County Borough Council[51] Trade unions GMB[52] Affiliated groups Welsh Young Labour[53]
Eluned Morgan[54]		AM for Mid and West Wales since 2016 Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning since 2017	6 / 29 20.7% Nominations Dawn Bowden[13] Alun Davies[13] Huw Irranca-Davies[13] Carwyn Jones David Rees[13]	Endorsements MPs Gerald Jones, MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney[55] Council leaders Debbie Wilcox, leader of Newport City Council

See also

• Welsh Labour Party deputy leadership election, 2018

References