Vaughan Gething ‘much, much better person’ than portrayed, former FM says
The former First Minister of Wales has defended Vaughan Gething – who announced he would resign after just four months in the post – as “a much, much better person than he has been portrayed”.
Mark Drakeford, who served as Welsh Labour leader and First Minister between 2018 and 2024, was speaking following months of scandals and bitter infighting that led to Mr Gething’s resignation on Tuesday.
He told BBC Walescast that there was “a great deal of goodwill available” to First Minister Mr Gething when he took office in March – becoming the first black leader of a European nation.
But Mr Drakeford acknowledged the “fuse was lit” when Mr Gething accepted a £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a company owned by a man twice convicted of environmental offences.
Last month, Mr Gething lost a vote of no confidence in the Senedd following rows over the donation, and his decision to sack Hannah Blythyn as a minister.
‘Sadness’
Speaking to Walescast, Mr Drakeford said Mr Gething had “immense sadness” that matters had not worked out “in the way he absolutely would have hoped and had a right to expect”.
Mr Drakeford said on Thursday night: “My own observation at a bit of a distance was that there was a great deal of goodwill available to him in the earliest days.
“I think people were absolutely proud to have the first black leader anywhere in Europe, here in Wales.
“I think there are many ways in which you can explain how things went wrong and how things eventually got to a point where he was unable to carry on, but I think all of that will be something that people look back on beyond this weekend.”
Mr Drakeford was asked whether Mr Gething’s leadership rival Jeremy Miles – one of four ministers who resigned from Mr Gething’s cabinet and called for him to quit on Tuesday – could have initially done more to unify the Welsh Labour group.
Goodwill
He replied: “I myself don’t believe that. I think in those early days there was an enormous amount of goodwill, people who hadn’t supported Vaughan joined his cabinet and were willing to take up important positions and be part of the government.”
Mr Miles had said he would not have taken the £200,000 donation from Dauson Environmental Group, which is owned by David Neal, who has twice been convicted of environmental offences.
Speaking to Walescast, Mr Drakeford said Mr Miles had been asked a direct question about the donation and would not have been able to avoid answering it.
He added: “In a way, the trail that eventually led to last week did begin right back there. With that original decision, the fuse was lit in a way, and Vaughan was never able to escape it.
“And that’s very, very unfair but I’m afraid in political life fairness isn’t always the way things are navigated.”
Mr Drakeford described how Mr Gething was “constantly under the cosh”.
He said concerns about Mr Gething’s decisions were not brought up at “every single group meeting” but would regularly feature due to “regularly being raised on the floor of the Senedd”.
Mistakes
Mr Drakeford added: “I think it can fairly be laid at Vaughan’s door that mistakes were made.
“He would defend them and he would explain why he made the decisions he made, but the criticism that mistakes were made is, I think, a legitimate one.
“It’s when that shades into accusations that these weren’t just mistakes, but these were somehow dishonest mistake, or mistakes done due to someone’s lack of integrity in office.
“That I think is completely unfair. Vaughan is a much, much better person than he has been portrayed in newspaper outlets and in some of the commentary around him.
“I have worked right alongside him over that decade. He is a thoughtful, committed, hardworking individual who tries to do his best.”
Mr Drakeford said there was a “big difference” between criticising Mr Gething’s judgments and accusing him of somehow not being fit to be first minister.
Election
Plaid Cymru called for a snap Senedd election following Mr Gething’s resignation but Mr Drakeford said that would not happen and the election would take place, as planned, in 2026.
When asked about the upcoming Welsh Labour leadership contest, Mr Drakeford called for it to be “as short as it can be, consistent with the rules”.
He said he thought installing a new leader by the start of the new Senedd term in September was “probably just a shade on the ambitious side” but would like for it to happen by the end of that month.
Mr Drakeford, who said he would “very much like” there to be a woman on the ballot, added that he had not thought it was appropriate for him to endorse a candidate while he was first minister.
But he added: “I’m a freer agent now.”
In his resignation statement to the Senedd, Mr Gething denied any wrongdoing and said he had not compromised his integrity.
He later told the Welsh Parliament that he was “proud” of his record in 11 years as being a minister and was “sad” that process would come to an end.
During Mr Gething’s time in office, a co-operation deal with Plaid Cymru which Labour relied on for a majority collapsed.
His sacking of social partnership minister Hannah Blythyn, who was fired over the alleged leak of messages relating to the Covid-19 pandemic to news website Nation.Cymru, added to controversies over his leadership.
Nation.Cymru, along with Ms Blythyn, denied she was the source of the leaked messages, which showed Mr Gething claiming he would delete correspondence from an iMessage group of Welsh ministers.
On Saturday, Welsh Labour is expected to announce the timetable and process for electing a new leader.
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Better late than never…it will become known as ‘Doing a Merkel’…
And Drakeford stood silently by shaking his head wisely…a view over the dolphins of Desolation Bay…a lonely depressing sight only saved by the Church…
‘Doing a Merkel’ refers to Mr Drakeford, Cameron and all other leaders who leave a lethal mess behind…
The Baroness has presided over more sadness and distress than you can imagine, yet limpet like she remains…a crime against the community…
Ridiculous defence of Gething. His bad judgements and bad decisions made him unfit for the office as First Minister. Worst Gething couldn’t even see the problem.
To admit to being a bad judge of character ? Given their closeness we must assume MD believes this to be so, after all, they appeared nightly to calm the fevered brow of the nation. In this, for good or ill, they were most effective. How much ‘skulduggery’ was involved to achieve this will no doubt come out in print in years to come…
Not really. If the donation rules reflected what people expected and he wasn’t sabotaged by his own side none of this would’ve happened.
Do you mean if he’d got away with it none of this would’ve happened?
There would’ve been no donation furore had the donation rules reflected whatever it is that people considered acceptable. That may be, for example, that there should be no donations in politics and taxpayers should fund party activities. Perhaps people would prefer that the Senedd gifted £50k to both candidates to run their campaign.
I wonder if it was the size of the donation compared to others. It does make people wonder what £170,000 was spent on in a 2 horse race. But anyway it’s happened and lessons need to be learned.
Of course but what are the lessons and how should they be learned? I’m baffled that so many are so outraged without any serious discussion on how the rules should be changed. Do people want this to keep happening or do they actually not have a problem with such donations when it’s their kind of candidate.
From a personal perspective I feel that Mr Gething was an example of ‘The Peter Principle’. I have worked in small private sector jobs and for the last 20 years for the NHS and have noted that in the public sector it is not unusual for people to be promoted above their capabilities. Lots of managers in the public sector would be ‘redeployed’ in the private sector.
What does it mean when those so unhappy about a donation they’ll happily end someone’s political career over it, would then rather talk about anything else than how politics should be funded.
I think in this case it was the size of the donation and the fact that he really should have undertaken proper due diligence. It doesn’t take a genius to realise that for a politician to accept such a large donation for what was in effect an in-house promotion would create the situation that it did. The fact that he made that judgment and then when the situation started to deteriorate he refused to admit that it probably wasn’t the best decision he’d made shows that not only has he got a lot to learn about crisis management but so… Read more »
So a cap is needed. Is £50k per individual about right?
There is a vacancy that needs to be filled. I don’t see why they had to raise any money to get the position. In most professions you apply for the job and pass an interview. The whole need for money to ensure promotion I find suspicious.
Dignified.
There’s nothing dignified about defending a proven liar.
Here we go Gething is a “proven liar”. Please let me know why you are calling him this name?
??? Are you ok hun? Do you need to see someone? Like an optician?
Answer the question please.
Chris is referring to this: https://nation.cymru/news/proof-that-vaughan-gething-lied-to-the-senedd/
You seem to have forgotten which account you are signed in under Llyn/Duke Iron . The Gething supporter has had to clone herself to make like it look like there is more than one😂
Plenty want an answer, not misdirection.
Perhaps the moral here is that it’s better to own up and admit your mistakes and eat a bit of humble pie. Then try and carry on building up a team that actually want to work with you.
A bit of balance is welcome regarding Gething. He is going, he made poor decisions but there is zero evidence he broke any rules. Those that are in favour of Welsh home rule and Plaid supporters really should be careful of burning everything down in order try and gain a political advantage. That tactic will only benefit the far-right anti politics crowd.
A typical labour comment don’t criticise us because you’ll criticise the Senedd and undermine devolution.
The Welsh government and Senedd are not one and the same. Labour have been appalling for the past 25yrs. Power with out responsibility.
Labours ineptitude and arrogance have done more to undermine devolution than the Tories.
Time for change come 2026
We’ll go on Andrew demonise and traduce Vaughan Gething if it makes you happy. He simply made some mistakes like we all do.
Vaughan Gething is side issue Labour are the proton Wales Lowest educational standards in the UK, worsts performing UK nation in the recent PISA results, worst economic performance in the UK, worst performing NHS ( the organisation not the people) in the UK. Worst health, social and housing outcomes in the UK Labour have been responsible for these areas for the past 25yrs that’s not a mistake by one person it is abysmal mismanagement by an entire party. Remember the £1m M4 relief road that was never built, a huge car park near Maygor that no one uses, £8 on… Read more »
He simply made some mistakes? Like misleading the UK covid inquiry? Like literally lying to the Senedd? Like claiming he’d never advocated for Dauson environmental, only for the letters to NRW to emerge?
Why are you so keen to defend this man? If it were someone from any other political party you’d be howling at the moon.
So he’s guilty of writing to the NRW on behalf of constituent? If that is an issue then every politician in the land is guilty.
The biggest change is likely to be a Labour minority administration in the Senedd, with Reform the main opposition, who may well campaign to abolish it. Plaid and the Tories are likely to be scrapping it out for 3rd & 4th place.
Dangerous times indeed.
An update to the political map of Cymru overlaying the reform tendencies of Cymru’s eastern counties will not be for the timid…
“Those that are in favour of Welsh home rule and Plaid supporters really should be careful of burning everything down in order try and gain a political advantage. “
Sounds a bit like a threat.
Don’t make things awkward for Labourinwales or Starmer will pick off pieces of your devolution.
But not really a threat as with Labourinwales’ help he’ll be doing that anyway.
Just an extra duty in Labourinwales’ job description to go along with foot dragging, gaslighting, responsibility dodging, avoidance of nation building.
I am no fan of Welsh Labour or Mark Drakeford but I must admit my disappointment. Drakeford was a reasonable success within the limits of power and Labour pressure – he has now sullied his reputation for all time by professing his support for an arrogant FM with extremely dodgy connections.
I notice the reference to Gethin being black – gosh they kept the quiet…
Have a listen to the interview. Clever fellow Prof Drakeford. I didn’t take it as a defence at all, I think he said Gething is to blame for his own downfall, had a fair crack of the whip but failed to win over his own doubters. But in an avuncular way which allows the man some dignity
VG has been up to no good since the union voting debacle with Jeremy Miles. I suspect Labour Westminster has been advising him to ride the scandal through otherwise he would not have taken this long to resign.
Well he would say that….
The thunderous noise of silence support coming from Labour MS’s is interesting.
Mark Drakeford single leap to his defence tells us a lot.
I watched this instalment of ‘Walescast’. Mark Drakeford’s a Labour politician through and through, so I wasn’t surprised that, on a TV current affairs programme, he refrained from metaphorically going for Vaughan Gething’s jugular! Personally I don’t share that inhibition, but then I’m absolutely not a Labour man through and through. But what Drakeford did say left me with the clear impression that he didn’t really feel able to unequivocally defend how Gething’s conducted himself, both in his leadership campaign and in his time as Labour leader and first minister. Which I think is probably as much as we can… Read more »
What I feel this saga has done is made people aware of The Senedd. And that it is comprised of people who aren’t very good at their jobs. It has shown that the quality of politicians is quite low. (Although this seems to be a general issue worldwide) Hopefully it will make politicians realise that they have to up their game and have REAL integrity. Well done Nation.Cymru for making these people accountable for their actions. Keep it up.
“Vaughan Gething ‘much, much better person’ than portrayed, former FM says”
Really,??? I found him to me much, much worse person, than I could have ever imagined!
Could someone please ask the Douglas Bain the Senedd Standards Commissioner to investigate the claims that Vaughan Gething ‘Lied’ to the Covid-19 inquiry?
https://nation.cymru/news/proof-that-vaughan-gething-lied-to-the-senedd/
All the details are here:
https://standardscommissionerwales.org/making-a-complaint
I would do it myself, but Douglas Bain has I think blocked my e-mail account!
If this happens and the investigation concludes that there’s no evidence of wrongdoing, will you accept that result and apologise? If not there’s really no point asking for the investigation.
Any investigation would be for the benefit of the people of Cymru not for Welsh Patriot especially so it doesn’t matter what he/she thinks or what I think or you think either.
And would you accept the findings if they didn’t suit your narrative?