Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething resigns after pressure from ministers – live

Sir Lindsay Hoyle has suggested there is a need for more cats in Parliament after welcoming a stray named Clem to his family.

The Commons Speaker joked there would be “cats across the House” to take care of the rodent population “if I had my way”, adding he would also love to see a “Bring Your Pet Day” in Parliament.

He made the remarks in the presence of Attlee, dubbed “head mouser of Speaker’s House”, who is two-and-a-half years old.

Named after former Labour prime minister Clement Attlee, Sir Lindsay said the brown tabby Maine Coon has been joined in the Hoyle family by three-year-old Clem – a black cat with Bengal markings who “turned up at our house one day”.

Animal-loving Sir Lindsay has a number of pets, including a tortoise named Maggie and a parrot named Boris.

In 2014, calls were made for rescue cats from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to be deployed in Parliament to crack down on mice running riot on the estate.

But the Commons was told a study had shown because of the size of the Westminster estate, one or two rescue cats would not be enough and a “herd of cats” would not be manageable.

Sir Lindsay, on Attlee’s job for the King’s Speech on Wednesday, told the PA news agency: “His role will be to keep the staff calm, he’s a therapy cat as well, he works his way around the desks in the offices here and if need be he’ll go out and visit people and say, ‘Look, I’m around’.

Vaughan Gething made history in March when he became the first black leader of any European country, succeeding Mark Drakeford as the First Minster of Wales.

He described his victory as “a matter of pride for a modern Wales but also a daunting responsibility for me – and one that I do not take lightly”.

He joined the Labour Party at 17 to help campaign in the 1992 elections.

Mr Gething has been in the Senedd since 2011 and in the cabinet since 2016.

He rose to prominence as health minister throughout the Covid pandemic, a post he held from 2016 to 2021, before becoming economy minister.

Mr Gething was born in Zambia in 1974, where his father, a Welsh vet from Ogmore-by-Sea in Glamorgan, met his mother, a chicken farmer.

He has spoken openly about his experiences of prejudice and said in his leadership campaign he did not want anyone in Wales to feel that way.

Vaughan Gething said he recognised that “rebuilding and renewal” was “not possible” under his leadership.

In a statement announcing his resignation, he said: “I have this morning taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour Party and, as a result, First Minister.

“Having been elected as leader of my party in March, I had hoped that over the summer a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal could take place under my leadership.

“I recognise now that this is not possible. It has been the honour of my life to do this job even for a few short months. To see the dedication to public service from our civil service, and the dedication to civility from the Welsh public.

“To see the election of a new government in Westminster, and the fresh hope that brings to Wales. I have always pursued my political career to serve Wales.”

In a parting shot, the group told him they could not do their jobs “without you standing down”.

He lost a non-binding no confidence motion only a few weeks ago and was seen in tears in the Senedd chamber before the vote.

He has come under fire since he sacked former minister Hannah Blythyn after a government leak.

Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has the full story:

More than 1,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister.

Home Office figures show 427 people made the journey in seven boats on Monday, taking the provisional total for the year so far to 14,759.

It means the number of arrivals recorded since Sir Keir took office on July 5 in the wake of Labour’s election victory now stands at 1,185.

The total for 2024 to date is 12% higher than the number recorded this time last year (13,200) and up 1% on the same period in 2022 (14,554), according to PA news agency analysis of Government data.

Last year, 29,437 migrants arrived in the UK after making the journey, down 36% on a record 45,774 in 2022.

Leader of Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd has blasted today is a “day of shame for Labour” after four ministers resigned and urged Vaughan Gething to quit.

Andrew RT Davies said: “The self indulgence we’ve seen throughout Vaughan Gething’s leadership has resulted in the breakdown of governance in Wales.

“But ministers like Jeremy Miles, who served in Gething’s cabinet, are equally culpable. Wales will remember.”

The Muslim Council of Britain has condemned comments made by Trump’s nominee to become vice-president after he described the UK as an “Islamist” country under Labour.

Reacting to the remarks, secretary general Zara Mohammed said: “Dangerous and divisive. It’s shocking how such blatant Islamophobic rhetoric is normalised for politically point scoring and in such jest – at the expense of Muslim communities.

“This kind of inflammatory speech needs to be called out.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Vaughan Gething has led a government of chaos and put his own self-interest before the interests of the people of Wales.

“For months, the First Minister’s poor judgment, aversion to scrutiny and ‘do nothing’ approach to governing has undermined the office of First Minister and brought Welsh politics into disrepute.

“Seldom have heads of government in a democracy disregarded the will of its legislature by carrying on despite losing a vote of confidence.

“The Labour Party has thrown its weight behind Vaughan Gething and Keir Starmer has acted as his main cheerleader.

“The ministers who resigned today are equally culpable, they should have acted far sooner than their eleventh hour intervention when it was a case of one bad headline too many.”

Four Welsh ministers have quit the government in protest at First Minister Vaughan Gething’s leadership, telling him they cannot get on with the job “without you standing down”.

Mick Antoniw, Julie James, Lesley Griffiths and Jeremy Miles resigned on Tuesday morning, posting separate letters on social media in which they called for Mr Gething to go.

The First Minister has come under sustained criticism in recent months for his decision to sack former minister Hannah Blythyn, and over a series of rows concerning donations he took while running to be Welsh Labour leader.

This led to the collapse of a co-operation agreement between his party and Plaid Cymru and he subsequently lost a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Senedd.

In a letter quitting as Welsh economy secretary, Mr Miles told Mr Gething: “We cannot continue like this.”

Mr Miles, who ran against Mr Gething for the Welsh Labour leadership, added: “The events of the last few months including your loss of the confidence vote in the Senedd, have been incredibly painful.

“It’s essential that we begin to repair the damage immediately, and I have reached the conclusion very regrettably that this cannot happen under your leadership. I can’t see any way forward for us which allows us to get on with job we are elected to do, without you standing down.”