Mark Drakeford says Vaughan Gething 'deserved better' than his short-lived time as First Minister
Mr Gething was in the top position for four months before he resigned. His time in office was dogged by questions over a £200,000 campaign donation from a businessman convicted of environmental offences.
Speaking to ITV Wales' Sharp End, his predecessor Mark Drakeford said he looks back on that time "with a great deal of sadness".
He said: "I thought Vaughan deserved much better.
"I think he was well prepared to be a First Minister. I think that he would have been a very good First Minister, and it is that hubristic sense you get, isn't it, is that somehow the thing that in the end made it all unwind was a decision he himself made that was the wrong decision, but he definitely deserved better."
Mr Gething received £200,000 in a campaign donation by the director of Dauson Environmental Group Ltd, David Neal, who was convicted twice for environmental offences.
Neal was given a suspended prison sentence in 2013 for illegally dumping waste on a conservation site on the Gwent Levels. His companies Atlantic Recycling and Neal Soil Suppliers were also prosecuted and ordered to pay fines and costs of £202,000.
There have also been concerns about a possible conflict of interest in the money coming from a company which was loaned £400,000 by the Welsh Government-owned Development Bank of Wales (DBW).
The loan from the DBW was given to Neal Soil Suppliers – a subsidiary of Dauson – in 2023 to help purchase a solar farm, at a time when Mr Gething was Economy Minister.
Mr Gething has always insisted that he cannot take any decision relating to Dauson – which is based in his constituency – and the DBW is entirely independent of ministers.
His four months in the top job also saw a row over a leaked phone message, which led to him sacking one of his ministers and Plaid Cymru's withdrawal of support for his Government.
Although still a Member of the Senedd, he has since kept a low profile, opting not to take a position in the cabinet.
Sharp End's Rob Osborne asked fellow former First Minister Mark Drakeford: "There is life after being First Minister - should he get back out there and do something now?"
"I hope he will," Drakeford said.
"I hope he'll find something that he wants to do and enjoys doing.
"I don't think if what had happened to him had happened to me, I don't think I'd ever want to set foot in here [The Senedd] again. But he comes very regularly. He speaks in debates.
"He's very good at all of that. And he must be, you know, a lot of it must be looking ahead, must it? And hoping to find something worthwhile that will use his very real talent."
In September last year, Mr Gething announced he would be stepping down at the next Senedd election. The former lawyer has represented Cardiff South and Penarth in the Senedd since 2011 and had served as Economy Minister and Health Minister in Mark Drakeford's Government during the pandemic.
His election as First Minister in March 2024 made him the first black leader of any European country.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Family's 'nightmare' after Brit, 25, plunges to his death from Malta balcony
Kieran Hughes, 25, was on a trip with friends when he fell from a balcony at the 10 storey Cavalieri Art Hotel in St Julian's, Malta - and suffered multiple blunt force injuries A 25-year-old British man died after suffering multiple blunt force injuries when he plunged from a hotel balcony in Malta, an inquest has heard. Kieran Hughes, a software engineer from Nant Gwynant, Gwynedd, Wales, was on a trip with friends when he fell from a height at the 10 storey Cavalieri Art Hotel in St Julian's, on the east coast of the Mediterranean island, at roughly 4am on July 11. First responders raced to the building in Malta's Triq Spinola area but the 25-year-old was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. In a heartbreaking statement, Hughes' devastated father described him as "a special son and twin brother," adding the family were "living in a nightmare" since the tragedy. Opening the inquest, assistant coroner for North West Wales Sarah Riley said the case was likely "to be an unnatural death," the cause of which being "multiple blunt force injuries due to a fall from height," according to Maltese authorities. She added that the circumstances surrounding the incident had yet to be established in Malta and adjourned the inquest pending further inquiries. The Foreign Office previously said it was in touch with local authorities regarding Hughes' death, with police inquiries thought to be ongoing. Liz Saville Roberts, MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said the young man's death was "heartbreaking news," adding: "My heart goes out to the young man's family at this extremely difficult time." Senedd member Sian Gwenllian said: "The pain his family must be experiencing is unimaginable. My thoughts, and those of the people of Gwynedd, are with the family in their grief." Mr Hughes was employed as a software engineer at the M-Sparc Science Park in Anglesey and studied engineering at Bangor University. His family said they wanted to remember his as being "happy, loving and full of life". Welsh MP Sian Gwenllian, who represents Arfon, said at the time of Hughes' death: "News of the death of a 25-year-old from Gwynedd in Malta is truly devastating. The pain his family must be experiencing is unimaginable. My thoughts, and those of the people of Gwynedd, are with them in their grief."
Leader Live
15 hours ago
- Leader Live
MS shares an update on the Coastal Path in Flintshire
MS for North Wales As Chair of the Senedd's Cross-Party Group on Disability, I met Amnesty International UK's Government and Political Relations Manager - Wales to discuss how we might ensure that the rights of disabled people are given proper legal effect in Wales. I also met with Wrexham-based Community Organising Charity TCC and other members of the coalition of organisations campaigning for the removal of barriers along the Wales Coastal Path in Flintshire, for discussion on further action. I have been working with disabled people and others across Flintshire for a decade, seeking to work with Flintshire County Council to remove all barriers along the Wales Coastal Path that are managed by the Council, allowing access for all. The current situation contravenes both the UK Equality Act (2010) and the legal and policy frameworks of the Welsh Government and Flintshire County Council itself. It was a pleasure to visit the 2025 Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells, where I was a member of the Gylfinir Cymru/Curlew Wales Panel as Wales Species Champion for the Curlew. My other meetings and visits there included, Adferiad, the member-led charity operating services across every constituency in Wales, that campaigns for and provides services to people with mental health, addiction, and co-occurring and complex needs; British Veterinary Association's Welsh Branch Reception as one of their Honorary Associate Members; The British Army Stand, to meet serving personnel, explore interactive displays, and learn more about the Army's contribution to Welsh society; Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW), to discuss the significant issues facing Welsh Agriculture at the moment; and Natural Resources Wales (NRW), to discuss some of their recent work and my priorities and concerns, and to meet their Senior Leadership team and area specialists. The Senedd's Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, which I Chair, has identified significant failings in the Welsh Government's handling of the acquisition of Gilestone Farm, near Talybont-on-Usk in Powys. In March 2022, the government paid £4.25m for the freehold of the Farm, as part of a plan to secure the future of Greenman Festival held nearby. There has since been a £0.5 million drop in the asset's value. The Committee's report, published on Monday (28th July) highlights that the purchase was rushed due to end-of-year budget pressures, resulting in avoidable mistakes. To ensure lessons are learned, the Committee will want to carry out further work looking at the Welsh Government's approach to property investments, to assess whether current processes are sufficiently rigorous and fit for purpose. For help, email or call 0300 200 7219.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Most expensive bird's nest in history! Ospreys leave Welsh Labour with useless £4m farm that can't hold festival spin-off amid fears for wildlife
The Welsh government has been accused of spending over £4m on 'the most expensive birds' nest in history' after buying land for a music festival – which cannot be used due to ospreys. The Labour-run administration paid out £4.25m for a farm to host a spin-off event from the annual Green Man music and cultural festival held each August. The land, at Gilestone Farm, near Brecon, Powys, has even lost £500,000 in value since it was purchased in 2022 – and not a single note of music has been played there. Now a Welsh Parliament committee has raised 'serious concerns' over the purchase and demanded a full review. The Senedd's public accounts and administration committee said the decision to buy the farm was taken with a 'lack of thorough due diligence'. The report said plans were 'not sufficiently robust and had not been communicated effectively to the community'. The proposed festival spin-off, which would have been held alongside events at its current base at Crickhowell, near Abergavenny, caused opposition from conservationists. And when the pair of ospreys – a protected bird of prey – landed in 2023 and built a nest in an oak tree, it scuppered the plans. Labour Ministers had faced questions over their friendships with festival chief Fiona Stewart, amid claims a business plan for the festival had not even been submitted. James Evans, Conservative Welsh assembly member for Brecon and Radnorshire, said: 'The next time the Labour government reaches for the cheque book, they should listen to local concerns and act with far greater transparency. 'In the meantime, Gilestone Farm remains the most expensive publicly owned 'bird nest' in history.' Plaid Cymru's Adam Price, who sits on the public accounts and administration committee, said: 'This whole saga, that has unravelled under the chaos of three Labour first ministers, serves as proof of the extent of this Labour Welsh government's mismanagement of the public purse.' The committee said there was a lack of adequate record of meetings between ministers and Green Man officials which meant politicians were 'unable to fully scrutinise and evaluate decisions taken by the Welsh government'. It said the 'haste' in completing the purchase may have inhibited the ability to identify risks - including the presence of wildlife 'that would affect its proposals for the site, and potentially, its value'. The report added: 'This is particularly notable as the site has now been valued at £3.75m, meaning that the Welsh government's asset has lost half a million pounds in value'. Committee chairman Mark Isherwood said: 'The arrival of the ospreys on the site was unexpected and it's acknowledged that the Welsh government has responded positively to this development to preserve their habitat, albeit there was evidence of other protected species being present at the site at the time of purchase. 'However, the future of the site now appears to be very uncertain, with the most recent valuation showing that the asset has decreased in value by £0.5m compared to the purchase price. This is highly regrettable.' The land is currently leased commercially. An earlier report by auditors for the Welsh government found the 'most significant factor' for the farm purchase was using up unspent money by the end of the financial year. A Welsh government spokesman said: 'Gilestone remains one of the Welsh government's property assets and is being managed on our behalf as a working farm. 'We continue to explore potential opportunities for its future use, in keeping with our commitment to seek a sustainable outcome that helps local communities thrive. 'We will read the committee's report with interest and respond in due course.'
