New Welsh Labour leader set to be announced today

The new leader of Welsh Labour and the next Wales first minister is set to be announced today.

Mark Drakeford, Eluned Morgan and Vaughan Gething are the three candidates standing in the election to replace Carwyn Jones who has led Welsh Labour since 2009.

Jones announced his intention to resign at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno in April 2018, he stated that he will stand down in autumn 2018, and as such he will continue to lead the party until then.

In order to become a candidate, individuals required 20% of current Labour AMs to nominate them, that equated to six AMs, including themselves.

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford was the first candidate to declare he was standing, shortly after carwyn Jones announced he would be stepping down.

He immediately secured the support of seven other AMs, ensuring he would be on the ballot.

A further nine AMs, including the two Labour AM’s in Flintshire, Jack Sargeant and Hannah Blythyn announced they were nominating Drakeford, giving him the support of a majority of the Labour Group.

Drakeford has also been backed by ‘Momentum’, a group supportive of national leader Jeremy Corbyn, and has been described as both a “Corbynist” and as a pragmatist.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething announced his candidacy on 25 May, with the support of four members of the Assembly, putting himself one nomination short of becoming a candidate.

He later achieved the required number of endorsements when Ann Jones announced her nominated him on 10 August.

Minister for Welsh Language & Lifelong Learning Eluned Morgan announced her intention to run on 11 June 2018, declaring herself to be a ‘centre-left candidate’.

She didn’t receive any further nominations until Huw Irranca-Davies and Alun Davies, who had wanted to stand for the leadership but received no public support from other AMs, withdrew to nominate her.

Two other AMs also nominated her, putting her one nomination short of the six required.

After Gething received sufficient nominations, he asked that no further AMs nominate him, but instead to nominate a woman.

He suggested that Drakeford himself could nominate Morgan to ensure diversity in the election.

Ballot papers were sent out to labour members on 9 November, they had until 3 December to return their vote.