THE Senedd elected Eluned Morgan as the first female First Minister of Wales today to succeed Vaughan Gething.
Baroness Morgan of Ely has previously been a member of the European Parliament and the House of Lords, before becoming a Senedd member on the Labour list for Mid and West Wales.
Ms Morgan paid tribute to her predecessor, Mr Gething, as the first black FM of Wales.
“As I take up the mantle of leadership I will add my own distinctive contribution with a vibrant splash of colour because the grey suits are out,” she said.
Ms Morgan talked about growing up as a vicar’s daughter on one of the largest council estates in Europe.
“This is the community that shaped me and that made me a socialist and the trade unionist that I am today,” she said.
She warned of the worrying disconnection from the political process with some “falling for superficially attractive answers that scapegoat the most vulnerable and breed mistrust and division.”
In an exclusive interview with the Morning Star, Ms Morgan addressed the threat from the far right and fascism in Wales and said: “We can be tolerant of everything except intolerance and hate is not a part of life in Wales.”
The FM also said that dealing with the closure threat at Tata Steel in the next few weeks was an immediate priority and spoke about poverty in Wales.
“As a socialist, I am more interested in redistribution but we need to create the wealth first before we can share it fairly with our communities,” she said.
Because there was not an election before Ms Morgan became Welsh Labour leader little is known of her possible policy programme.
The FM said that the party’s 2021 manifesto was still in play, but since former Prime Minister Liz Truss crashed the economy her government would need to look at its priorities and would be conducting a listening exercise over the summer.
The three opposition leaders welcomed the first woman FM but said that the problems facing Wales were created by Welsh Labour in government.
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said she needed to call an election after a revolving door of first ministers this year.
Mr ap Iorwerth also called on Ms Morgan to stand up for Wales for fair funding, devolving the Crown Estate, getting HS2 money and devolving crime and justice.
Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said: “We cannot be divided, particularly now as we see the potential rise of fascism and racism in our societies.”
