UK has its first black gov’t leader
VAUGHAN GETHING was elected first minister of Wales on Wednesday, becoming the first black leader of a government in the UK.
Gething was elected government leader by members of the Welsh parliament in Cardiff, four days after winning the contest to be leader of Wales’ governing Labour Party. He secured 27 of 51 votes in the legislature, the Senedd, where Labour is the biggest party.
Gething, the son of a Welsh father and a Zambian mother, said Wales is now “the first nation anywhere in Europe to be led by a black person”.
“It is a matter of pride for a modern Wales, but also a daunting responsibility for me – and one that I do not take lightly,” he told lawmakers.
He said he wanted to lead a country that “can celebrate our differences and take pride in all of those things that draw us together”.
Gething will be sworn in once his appointment is approved by King Charles III – a formality.
Three of the UK’s four governments now have non-white leaders. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has Indian heritage, while Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf was born to a Pakistani family in Britain.
Northern Ireland is led jointly by Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly, meaning that for the first time there are no white male heads of government in the UK.
Wales, which has a population of about three million, is one of four parts of the United Kingdom, along with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The British government in London is responsible for defence, foreign affairs and other UK-wide issues, while administrations in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast control areas such as education and health.
Gething was Wales’ health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic. As economy minister since 2021, he has had to deal with the fallout from Tata Steel’s plan to close both blast furnaces at its plant in Port Talbot, eliminating 2,800 jobs at one of Wales’ biggest employers.
He’ll take over a government that is often at odds with Sunak’s Conservative administration in London. Wales has also seen a wave of protests over environmental rules by farmers, similar to those that have roiled France and other European countries.
Gething’s leadership campaign was rattled by the revelation that he’d accepted £200,000 (US$255,000) in donations from a recycling company that was found guilty of environmental offences and breaching health and safety regulations.
Gething said that the donations were properly declared under electoral rules.