First Minister of Wales
| First Minister of Wales Prif Weinidog Cymru | |
|---|---|
| Style | The Right Honourable |
| Appointer | Charles III of the United Kingdom |
| Term length | While commanding the confidence of the National Assembly for Wales |
| Inaugural holder | Alun Edward Michael |
| Formation | 12 May 1999 |
| Website | Website |
The First Minister of Wales (Welsh: Prif Weinidog Cymru) is the leader of the Welsh Government. Wales' government is devolved, meaning it can make decisions on certain laws in Wales (any other laws are decided by the UK Government in Westminster). It was established in 1999.
The First Minister has several responsibilities:
- Managing the Cabinet of the Welsh Government
- Creating and co-ordinating government policy
- Wales' relationship with the rest of the United Kingdom, and other countries
- Staffing at the Welsh Government
The office of the First Minister is in Tŷ Hywel, and at the Senedd building in Cardiff. An office is also kept at the Crown Buildings, Cathays Park, Cardiff. The current First Minister, since 2026, is Rhun ap Iorwerth. The longest-serving First Minister was Rhodri Morgan.
List of First Secretaries and First Ministers
[change | change source]First Secretaries
[change | change source]- Alun Michael (12 May 1999–9 February 2000)
- Rhodri Morgan (9 February 2000–16 October 2000)
First Ministers
[change | change source]| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency/Title |
Term of office | Political party | Elected | Government | Deputy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of term | End of term | Tenure | ||||||||
| 1 |  |
Alun Michael (born 1943) AM for Mid and West Wales As First Secretary |
12 May 1999 |
9 February 2000 |
273 days | Labour[a] | 1999 | Michael Lab (minority) |
none | |
| 2 | .jpg) |
Rhodri Morgan (1939–2017) AM for Cardiff West Office renamed First Minister on 16 October 2000 |
9 February 2000 |
10 December 2009 |
9 years, 304 days | Labour | Interim Rh. Morgan Lab (minority) |
none | ||
| Rh. Morgan I Lab – LD |
Mike German (LD) 2000–01 and 2002-03 Jenny Randerson | |||||||||
| 2003 | Rh. Morgan II Lab (minority) |
none | ||||||||
| 2007 | Rh. Morgan III Lab (minority) | |||||||||
| Rh. Morgan IV Lab – Plaid |
Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru) | |||||||||
| 3 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Carwyn Jones later created Baron Jones of Penybont (born 1967) AM for Bridgend |
10 December 2009 |
12 December 2018[1] |
9 years, 2 days | Labour | Jones I Lab – Plaid | |||
| 2011 | Jones II Lab (minority) |
none | ||||||||
| 2016 | Jones III Lab – LD - Ind | |||||||||
| 4 | .jpg) |
Mark Drakeford (born 1954) MS for Cardiff West |
13 December 2018 |
20 March 2024 |
5 years, 98 days | Labour | Drakeford I Lab – LD - Ind |
none | ||
| 2021 | Drakeford II Lab (minority) |
none | ||||||||
| 5 | .jpg) |
Vaughan Gething (born 1974) MS for Cardiff South and Penarth |
20 March 2024 |
5 August 2024 |
138 days | Labour[a] | Gething Lab (minority) |
none | ||
| 6 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Eluned Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Ely (born 1967) MS for Mid and West Wales |
6 August 2024 |
12 May 2026 |
1 year, 280 days | Labour[a] | E. Morgan Lab (minority) |
Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour) | ||
| 7 | .jpg) |
Rhun ap Iorwerth (born 1972) MS for Bangor Conwy Môn |
12 May 2026 |
Incumbent | 64 days | Plaid Cymru | 2026 | ap Iorwerth Plaid (minority) |
Sioned Williams (Plaid Cymru) | |
Notes
[change | change source]- 1 2 3 Also a member of the Co-operative Party.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ David, Hefin. "We are officially First Minister-less. Diolch yn fawr iawn @AMCarwyn for strong leadership in difficult times". Twitter. Hefin David AM/AC.