Welsh first minister Gething resigns

WALES's first minister Vaughan Gething announced on Tuesday (16) that he would step down after just four months in the job, dealing a blow to the new Labour government.

Gething has been dogged by controversies since he was elected in March, and his position became increasingly untenable Tuesday after four ministers quit his devolved administration.

"I have this morning taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour party and, as a result, first minister," Gething, 50, said in a statement.

"It has been the honour of my life to do this job even for a few short months."

Gething became the first black leader of a government in a European country when he was elected, but immediately faced criticism after it emerged he had accepted a £200,000 donation during his Welsh Labour leadership campaign from a man convicted of environmental crimes.

He has maintained that he followed rules when accepting donations.

Gething called allegations of wrongdoing on his part "pernicious, politically motivated and patently untrue".

"This has been the most difficult time, for me, and my family," Gething said in his statement Tuesday.

"In 11 years as a minister, I have never ever made a decision for personal gain. I have never ever misused or abused my ministerial responsibilities."

Gething also came under pressure over a leaked phone message which led to him sacking one of his ministers and another possible conflict-of-interest donation.

He lost a non-binding no-confidence vote last month but vowed to fight on.

Before the vote, Keir Starmer, who led the  Labour party to a landslide win over the Tories in the general election on July 4, offered Gething his support.

Gething's turbulent time in office also saw the collapse of a coalition between Labour and the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru.

The Welsh government in Cardiff, established in 1999, is responsible for devolved policy areas such as health, education, economic development, transport and local government.

(AFP)