Man who helped topple Vaughan Gething as Welsh FM back in government

The man who helped lead the charge in toppling Vaughan Gething as Welsh first minister has returned to government in a reshuffle.

First Minister Eluned Morgan made Jeremy Miles cabinet secretary for health and social care on Wednesday evening.

Mr Miles, the MS for Neath, was one of four ministers who quit Mr Gething’s cabinet earlier this year, leading to his downfall as leader of the Welsh government.

Swansea West MS Julie James, who also quit Mr Gething’s government, has been made counsel general and minister for delivery.

Former first minister Mark Drakeford, MS for Cardiff West – who was appointed interim health secretary in August, has also been given a permanent job as cabinet secretary for finance and Welsh language.

Rebecca Evans, who previously held the finance brief, has taken over responsibility for economy, energy and planning.

The reshuffle is Baroness Morgan’s first since she became First Minister in August, when she became the first woman to lead the Welsh government.

It also comes ahead of the Senedd returning from its summer break next week.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales on Thursday, Baroness Morgan said: “I need all hands on deck to make sure that we can provide a fresh new start.

“And I think having a woman (in charge) makes a difference in the sense that I think it looks different, it’ll feel different, it’ll be different, and I hope that people will relate in a different way to the way that we do government, but my watchword is going to be delivery.

“That’s what this government is going to be about.”

She admitted that the health job was “really tough” when asked if she had handed Mr Miles a “poisoned chalice”, with waiting times at Welsh hospitals at record highs.

She said: “I’ll be making sure that actually we all take responsibility across government for supporting him and making sure that we keep that focus on something that is of vital importance to the public.”

Asked about the appointment of Mr Drakeford as finance minister, Baroness Morgan said she wanted the “best team on the pitch” and said he has “vast amounts of experience”.

However, she did not answer when pressed on whether Mr Gething had been asked to sit in her cabinet.

She said: “He’s very clear in his decision that he not only wanted to leave the cabinet but also was not going to be standing in the next election.”

Baroness Morgan is set to announce her government’s priorities ahead of the next 2026 Senedd elections on Tuesday.

Reacting to the reshuffle, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “This is the third Welsh government cabinet this year after months of internal Labour party chaos.

“Wales deserves better than this tired and divided Labour government that delivers nothing but delay and distractions.

“As we look ahead to the 2026 election, Plaid Cymru offers a fresh alternative and real change.”

Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: “While there may be a new First Minister, it’s still the same old Labour.

“We know that this Labour Welsh government will continue to fail in the key areas that matter to Wales while they focus time and energy on pointless pet projects.

“The Welsh Conservatives are the true alternative to Labour’s politics of distractions, and only with a Welsh Conservative government will things finally change for the better.”

Baroness Morgan took over from Mr Gething, who lasted fewer 140 days in the job, in August after four members of his government quit, criticising his leadership.

During the last leadership race, Mr Gething took a £200,000 donation for his campaign from a company owned by a man twice convicted of environmental offences, which led to some members of his own party criticising his judgment.

In June, Mr Gething lost a vote of no confidence in the Senedd, after rows over the donation, and his decision to sack Delyn MS Hannah Blythyn as a minister.