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Wales’s first minister has lost a confidence vote.

Twenty-nine members of the Senedd voted in favour of the motion of no confidence in Vaughan Gething, while 27 voted against.

Mr Gething has only been first minister since March, but in that time he has faced questions over a controversial £200k donation to his leadership campaign from a man convicted of environmental offences.

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He said the donations had been made in line with party protocols and has refused calls to return the money.

The motion of no confidence was put forward by the Conservatives, the largest opposition group in the Senedd (Welsh parliament).

Despite losing, Mr Gething does not have to step down as the vote is not binding, but it does put further pressure on the embattled leader.

He has made clear in the aftermath of the debate he will not resign as first minister and will continue in post.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has given his backing to the party’s leader in Wales, telling reporters on the campaign trail Mr Gething was doing a “good job”.

Vaughan Gething in the Senedd in Cardiff after he became the new First Minister of Wales
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Vaughan Gething was elected first minister in March

‘Not a gimmick’

Introducing the motion tabled by his party, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said it was “not a gimmick”.

“This was talked of prior to the general election,” he said.

“It is about judgement, honesty and transparency.”

Leader of Plaid Cymru, the pro-independence party, denied the motion was “tribal party politics”.

“We must be different to Westminster, not only in words but in deeds too,” he said.

“Today, we, these benches, are acting in what we firmly believe in the interests of the people of Wales.”

Vaughan Gething speaks during a Welsh Labour general election campaign event in Abergavenny, Wales.
Pic Reuters
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Vaughan Gething. Pic: Reuters

But chair of the Welsh Labour group in the Senedd, Vikki Howells, said the motion was “politics at its worst” and was a “cynical Tory gimmick”.

“With the Tory party tanking in the polls…it’s no wonder that they will do anything, anything at all to try and shift the spotlight from their own record of abject failure,” she said.

One Labour member, Joyce Watson, said the decision to hold the confidence vote on the eve of the D-Day anniversary was “disrespectful” to veterans.

Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds said she no longer had confidence in the first minister.

But she said she had “never voted in a vote of confidence here in the Senedd” and had in fact voted to confirm Mr Gething as first minister in March.

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‘Mistakes’

Responding to the debate, Wales’s first minister said he has “made and will continue to make mistakes”.

“It does hurt deeply when my intentions are questioned,” Mr Gething added.

“I will not shy away from scrutiny and challenge.”

He reiterated that all rules had been followed.

Speaking after the vote, Mr Gething said it was a “very disappointing afternoon”.

“To go into the Senedd for what is a transparent gimmick in the general election, led by the Welsh Conservatives, to go into a position where the ill-health in two of our members has affected the outcome of the vote,” he said.

“And as I said, on ill-health grounds, we have always paired. That means you even up people from one party to another.

“We did that for more than three months for the leader of the Welsh Conservatives.”

He said he was “proud” to be first minister of Wales.

“To serve and lead my country. That’s what I’ve done today. That’s what I’ll carry on doing,” he added.

Read more:
Why Wales’s FM faced confidence vote
Plans to cut summer holidays in Wales put on hold

As well as questions over donations, Mr Gething has in recent weeks faced accusations he misled the COVID Inquiry over deleted messages and sacked one of his ministers for allegedly leaking information to the media.

That former minister was one of two Labour members who were absent for the confidence vote.

Neither Hannah Blythyn nor former transport minister Lee Waters voted.

Plaid Cymru then withdrew from a cooperation deal they had with the Labour government in which the party lent its support on dozens of key policy areas.

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France to become first G7 nation to recognise Palestine as a state

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France to become first G7 nation to recognise Palestine as a state

Emmanuel Macron has said France will recognise Palestine as a state later this year.

The French president announced the major change of policy in a letter to the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, which Mr Macron also published online on Thursday evening.

The French leader said he will make the formal announcement at the UN General Assembly, being held in September.

France will become the first G7 member to recognise a Palestinian state.

In his post explaining the decision, Mr Macron called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the hostages and for much more humanitarian aid to reach those in the territory.

But Israel’s defence minister has called the French decision “a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism”.

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Sky’s international correspondent John Sparks, reports on the children in Gaza who are experiencing malnutrition, one child wishes for ‘life to go back to how it was.’

The move heaps pressure on France’s allies such as the UK, and Sir Keir Starmer insisted tonight that he is “clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people”.

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But the prime minister has resisted calls from within his own party to recognise Palestine immediately, as he views this as part of the peace process in Gaza.

Currently, half of the G20 recognise Palestine as a state, while nations including the UK, US, Germany and others do not.

But pressure has been growing on Sir Keir to change course, with senior Labour figures including the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan publicly calling for a change in government policy.

Starmer: ‘We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe’

Just hours before Mr Macron’s announcement, Sir Keir said he would be holding an “emergency call” with the leaders of France and Germany over what he termed the “humanitarian catastrophe” happening in Gaza.

In some of the firmest language from the government yet, Sir Keir said that “the suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible”.

He went on to say that it has been “grave for some time”, but that it has now “reached new depths and continues to worsen”.

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The PM says that

Sir Keir said: “I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace.”

The PM added that “we all agree” on the need for Israel to “change course and allow aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay”.

He wrote: “It is hard to see a hopeful future in such dark times. But I must reiterate my call for all sides to engage in good faith, and at pace, to bring about an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages.”

Across the globe, more than 140 countries recognise Palestine as a state.

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