‘He’s doing a good job’ – Starmer backs Gething ahead of confidence vote
Emily Price
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has given his backing to Vaughan Gething ahead of next week’s confidence motion.
Sir Keir told reporters on the General Election campaign trail in Worcester: “He is doing a good job, he was elected in and I’m looking forward to being with him in this campaign where we will campaign together for, what I hope will be, the next Labour government.”
The Welsh First Minister will face a motion of no confidence in the Senedd on Wednesday (June 5) following rows over donations and deleted messages.
The Welsh Conservatives tabled the motion following the collapse of the co-operation deal between Labour and Plaid Cymru.
Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies said: “Next week Senedd Members will have the chance to have their say on Vaughan Gething’s judgment, his transparency, and his truthfulness.
“The litany of unanswered questions has paralysed the Welsh Government to the point that Gething has been completely unable to take action to address record NHS waiting lists, sliding educational attainment and high economic inactivity.
“It’s time to put an end to the obfuscation, the drift and the infighting and vote no confidence in Vaughan Gething.”
Donation
Concerns were raised about Mr Gething’s judgement after Nation.Cymru revealed that he accepted a £200,000 donation from a man twice convicted of environmental offences during his campaign to become Welsh Labour leader.
A poll conducted earlier this month revealed that the majority of Welsh voters believe the First Minister should return the money.
58 per cent of those polled said they would support an independent inquiry into the scandal whilst only 15 per cent were opposed or strongly opposed to such a probe.
Mr Gething says he hasn’t “done anything outside of the rules”.
The UK Labour Party refused to accept the £31,000 which was left over from the campaign.
The First Minister says the left over cash will be offered to “progressive causes” instead.
Covid messages
Mr Gething launched Labour’s General Election campaign in Llandudno last week where he was joined by Deputy Party Leader Angela Raynor whilst Sir Keir was in Scotland.
The First Minister was accused of dodging press at the event after he declined interviews with the Morning Star, Wales Online and several other news outlets.
Following pushback from media representatives, Ms Raynor agreed to take part in interviews.
Mr Gething has also been criticised for refusing to show any evidence to explain why he sacked junior minister Hannah Blythyn.
A previously unseen iMessage sent during the Covid-19 pandemic was revealed by Nation.Cymru earlier this month.
It appeared to show the then health minister’s intention to delete a discussion with ministers because it could be subject to freedom of information legislation.
Ms Blythyn was accused of being the source of the leaked message – an allegation she denied saying: “Integrity is all in politics and I retain mine.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
‘Doing a good job’ indeed – Gething’s only been there for five minutes and he’s already been caught taking dodgy cash, lying to the Covid enquiry, and firing a woman on a whim trying to cover his backside. Even Johnson didn’t clock up this much scandal in such a short time.
Yeah the guys a crook should change his name to Richard Ap Nixon get him out of there.
Well said! Boris must be feeling very down, his award of being the most dodgy politician in Britain no longer applies. Congratulations Vaughan Gethin and Welsh Labour!
Gething’s certainly become depressingly tarnished with remarkable speed, but even so he’s – thus far! – come nowhere close to Johnson in achieving the dubious accolade of being the most comprehensively squalid political leader in the UK during my by now rather long lifetime.
How many times over the years has the phrase ” he/she has my full support”? More often than not,that is the “kiss of death” regardless of which party or business is involved!!
“He’s doing a good job.” Kiss of death there? Sounds like every football club chairman in history …
It makes it sound like Keir is his line-manager, Vaughan Gething is his man in Wales and therefore Welsh Labour is very much subordinate to UK Labour which according to Keir is *my* party that *I* have changed to get rid of all those awful socialists.
He’s doing a good job? Sounds like Sir Keir knows VG is on the way out, easier to praise him upon exit rather than criticise.
How the hell is Vaughan Gething doing a good job? He’s only been first minister for a few weeks? And even before he won the top job was caught up in political scandal when he received dirty money from a twice convicted criminal. So it’s best if Keir Starmer kept his mouth shut seeing his own dire record of knifing former colleagues in the back, condoning Israeli war crimes, purging his party of left, and his banning of Britain’s first black MP Dianne Abbott from standing in the upcoming general election all because she happened to state that black people… Read more »
Labour under Starmer has seemingly gone full Stalinist, purging left wingers from a supposedly left wing party. Just tonight we have had the news that Luke ‘Zionist S***lord’ Akehurst is being parachuted into North Durham, Labour together director Josh Simons is being has been selected as the candidate for Makerfield and lastly Paul Waugh for the Rochdale seat. The man has been embarrassingly thirsty for this seat since he felt denied the first time around. As for us in Wales what can we say, a supposedly forensic QC lending support to someone whos conduct and activates would not look out… Read more »