Barring any unexpected surprises, next week will see the election of the third First Minister of the Welsh Government this year.  Other parties are in no position to crow about the chaos after the Conservatives got through three Prime Ministers in quick succession in 2022 and Plaid Cymru’s sister party, the SNP is on its third Scottish First Minister in an equally short space of time.

It will be interesting to see if Welsh Labour express any humility about the self-inflicted situation after Vaughan Gething accepted a £200,000 donation from a man with a conviction for causing environmental damage to the Gwent Levels.  It’s a reminder that politicians should be careful what they wish for.

I remember when Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister that Labour said a second leader without a mandate from the public was sufficient cause for an unscheduled general election.  Equally in Scotland, Labour said a second SNP First Minister who hadn’t won an election meant the Scottish Parliament should be dissolved for an election.  Surprisingly no one in Welsh Labour has said a second unelected First Minister requires an unscheduled Senedd election – funny that!  A cynic might think this is no surprise given that while Labour made gains in the general election, it was on one of the lowest vote shares the party has ever achieved, making it very vulnerable to opposition parties at the next Senedd election.

Eluned Morgan has had responsibility in the Welsh Government Cabinet for the NHS and social care in Wales since May 2021 but her record is highly questionable.  Earlier this month, waiting lists rose to a record high with one in four of the population waiting to be seen.  Over 22,000 people have been waiting over two years for treatment compared to just 259 across the border in England.  Welsh Labour politicians used to say this was because Wales was underfunded but surprisingly have stopped calling for reform of the funding formula since Keir Starmer became Prime Minister.

While individual experiences of care by NHS staff are almost always exemplary, it’s clear that the system is letting both patients and staff down.  In Monmouthshire, we’ve been the victims of sweeping centralisation of NHS services under Eluned Morgan’s leadership with the downgrade or removal of maternity services, ambulance stations and minor injuries units.  What is clear is that we need a change of direction in Wales and a new emphasis on improving public services.