Who is Eluned Morgan the new First Minister of Wales?

Senedd Members took a brief break from their summer holidays earlier today to formally confirm Eluned Morgan as the new First Minister of Wales. Jess Moultrie is Chair of Welsh Young Labour, a city councillor in Cardiff representing the Pentwyn and Llanedeyrn ward, and a current candidate for the National Policy Forum.

She writes below welcoming the appointment, which is both an opportunity to unify the Labour Group in the Senedd and bring new inspiration to young activists on the campaign trail in Wales. 

Eluned Morgan – pronounced ‘Elined’ for those less familiar with the Welsh language – entered politics in 1994 when she was elected Member of the European Parliament for Mid and West Wales, becoming the youngest representative in Brussels at 27. She made history by being the first person in Wales to give birth while in full-time public office. She’s about to enter the record books again as Wales’s first female First Minister. She continues to inspire many girls and women in Wales – me included. 

Eluned has a strong track record of public service, particularly as an advocate of shifting power to Welsh communities. She was a key figure in the Yes for Wales referendum campaign, the cross-party group, which campaigned for devolution in 1997. Eluned was appointed as a Labour representative on the National Advisory Group, which shaped the creation of what was initially known as the Welsh Assembly. She has a long-standing passion for Welsh history and culture and has championed the Welsh language in the Labour Party by establishing Cymdeithas Cledwyn – the Cledwyn Group – named in honour of the memory of former Welsh Secretary, Cledwyn Hughes, who served as the Labour MP for Anglesey between 1951 and 1979. 

Thirty years in Welsh politics has furnished Eluned with the experience needed to unify the Senedd Labour Group. Eluned’s wide range of skills, especially cross-party work, can help bring the Labour group back together so the focus can be on putting the best interest of the Welsh public at the forefront of the agenda. Eluned has appointed Huw Irranca-Davies MS as her Deputy-First Minister to support this process. 

Parts of the BAME community in Wales are hurt at the circumstances surrounding the recent resignation of Vaughan Gething – Wales’s first black First Minister. This issue must be handled with care and sensitivity. She’s already building bridges with the BAME community and pledged to make their priorities her priorities, to “create a Wales where everyone can fulfil their potential no matter their background.”  

Also, during her first days as Welsh Labour Leader, Eluned met with Tata and the steel trade unions, accompanied by her deputy and the Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens MP, to discuss the ongoing situation in Port Talbot. She has firmly pledged to stand with the workers to protect as many jobs as possible. It’s early days, but there are grounds for optimism. Eluned has proven her commitment to working closely with the new UK Labour government. Cooperation between Westminster and Cardiff is key to helping solve pressing issues in Wales and giving the country the opportunities it needs to thrive. 

Eluned will make a difference as First Minister, by facilitating unity within the Labour Party and listening to people beyond it.  This will provide a powerful incentive for activists like me to focus on the hard yards of winning a second Westminster term in 2029 and organise for victory in the Senedd elections in 2026. 

I look forward to supporting her and working with her.

For more on Labour’s approach the nations and regions of the UK see Governing for the whole country: Labour’s regional policy

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