Jeremy Miles – who narrowly missed out on becoming First Minister – gets top charity job

Martin Shipton

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles has become the first member of the outgoing Welsh Government to land a new job with his appointment as CEO of the London-based Youth Endowment Fund.

He will join YEF, a charity dedicated to youth research and evidence-led action to prevent violence affecting children and young people.

Last year, according to its annual accounts, the charity had 64 employees, the highest paid of whom – presumably the CEO – was paid between £130k and £140k.

Two years ago Mr Miles was narrowly defeated by Vaughan Gething in the contest for leadership of Welsh Labour. Had he won, he would have become First Minister. Mr Gething was forced to quit after just four months following widespread anger at his decision to accept donations totalling £200,000 from a businessman convicted of environmental crimes. Welsh Labour may not have been third in the polls if Mr Miles had been elected leader.

He was, however, blocked from becoming First Minister after Mr Gething’s resignation, with Eluned Morgan drafted in as a “unity” candidate.

In September 2025 he announced he would not be seeking re-election to the Senedd in 2026.

Mr Miles was first elected as the MS for Neath in 2016, holding a range of senior ministerial roles in the Welsh Government, including Counsel General, Minister for European Transition, Minister for Covid Recovery, Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language, and latterly Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.

A statement on YEF’s website said: “Throughout his ministerial career, Jeremy has led major cross-government work spanning health, education and economic policy. At the heart of that work has been a focus on improving the lives and prospects of children and families — experience he will bring directly to his new role.

“At YEF, he will lead the organisation’s mission to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in violence. Working closely with colleagues and partners across the services and sectors that shape young people’s lives and outcomes, he will build on the charity’s work to strengthen the evidence of what works, listen to and learn from young people’s experiences, and turn that insight into meaningful change in both practice and policy.”

‘Excited’

Mr Miles said: “I am excited to be joining YEF at this crucial time. Every young person deserves the best start in life, and the YEF’s mission to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence goes to the heart of this.

“YEF’s reputation is underpinned by a rigorous body of evidence – it knows what works – and a passion for using that evidence to change lives.  That’s an incredibly powerful combination. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to help YEF build on its successes to date, bringing my experience in reforming systems, and to working with others to help make the lives of children and young people free of violence.”

Lisa Stone, Chair of the YEF Committee, said: “Jeremy brings a wealth of experience to YEF, having held senior government roles across areas central to our mission. He is a proven leader who will bring both passion and humility to this role, and we are thrilled to have him guiding YEF through its next phase.”

Over the past six years, YEF has:

* Committed more than £165m to the delivery and evaluation of violence prevention projects in England and Wales.

* Commissioned more than 100 evaluations, including more than 60 impact evaluations — the largest body of UK-based studies ever commissioned on preventing violence affecting children.

* Carried out the UK’s largest survey of children’s experiences of violence, involving nearly 11,000 teenage children in England and Wales.

* Helped drive reforms across key systems working with children, including education, youth justice and youth services.

* Supported widespread use of its guidance and Violence Prevention Toolkit, including by education leaders, youth offending teams and other frontline practitioners.

Violence

YEF said: “The appointment comes at a time when the importance of evidence on what works to prevent violence has never been clearer.

The UK Government’s recent Protecting Lives, Building Hope: A Plan to Halve Knife Crime draws heavily on YEF’s research and recommendations. That momentum continues with YEF’s forthcoming Children’s Services Practice Guidance, due to be published in June 2026.”

YEF has just one corporate trustee: Impetus – The Private Equity Foundation.

In the year ending March 31 2025 the charity had income of £11.5m, including £4.9m from four UK Government grants, and spent £39.4m.