The World Briefly
March 18, 2024Go West, Young Man
Wales
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The Welsh Labour Party elected Vaughan Gething as its new leader this week, the first Black head of government in Wales – and in Europe, Politico reported.
Gething will be confirmed as Wales’ first minister next week following a highly divisive leadership contest that followed the surprise resignation of his predecessor Mark Drakeford in December.
Gething, who served as the British country’s economy minister, secured more than 51 percent of the vote against his opponent, Education Minister Jeremy Miles.
“Today, we turn a page in the book of our nation’s history,” the 50-year-old politician told party members. “A history we write together. Not just because I have the honor of becoming the first Black leader in any European country – but because the generational dial has jumped too.”
Born in the former British colony of Zambia, he is the son of a white Welsh father and a Zambian mother. His parents moved to Wales when he was two and later settled in England after experiencing racism in the Welsh countryside, he said.
His victory in the Welsh Labour leadership means that currently the United Kingdom and its constituent nations – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – are being led by minorities, according to the Telegraph.
While the UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was born to parents of Indian descent, Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf is the son of Pakistani immigrants, and Northern Ireland is led by Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly as its first female duo at the helm.
Observers noted that Gething will be an important player in the UK’s general election later this year, which will see the opposition Labour Party campaign to end 14 years of Conservative rule.
Labour has held power in Wales since the creation of the country’s legislature in 1999. However, the party is currently grappling with challenges, including backlash over a 20 miles per hour speed limit policy, extended waits for National Health Service treatment, and farmers’ protests against green subsidy plans.
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