Sir Keir Starmer has expressed his full confidence in Vaughan Gething, despite the First Minister losing a no-confidence vote.

Stephen Kinnock, the Labour general election candidate for Aberafan Maesteg, stated that Mr.

Gething had done nothing wrong and must continue as Labour’s leader in Wales.

The vote was non-binding, and opposition parties had a majority because two Labour members and another were absent due to illness.

Opposition parties have been considering whether to submit a motion of no confidence in the entire Welsh government, as the parliament's rules do not require Mr.

Gething to resign despite losing the vote.

Labour's Ed Miliband also supported Vaughan Gething, describing him as a friend and someone he would be happy to campaign with.

During a general election campaign in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, the shadow secretary for climate change and net zero said that Vaughan is a man of great integrity and leadership, and a great First Minister.

He criticized the vote as a gimmick from the Conservatives, who have nothing to say to defend their record or about the future.

When asked on BBC Wales Live if Sir Keir had full confidence in the Welsh Labour leader, Mr.

Kinnock confirmed that he absolutely does.

He described Vaughan as a man of honor and integrity and dismissed the vote as a cheap political stunt by the opposition, led by the Conservatives and supported by Plaid Cymru.

Tory Welsh Secretary David TC Davies stated that the issue was not about Vaughan’s integrity but about his judgment.

He mentioned that whether the Conservatives would push for a vote of no confidence in the entire Welsh government was a matter for the Tory leader in the Senedd, Andrew RT Davies.

Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts called the event a sad day for Welsh democracy, brought about by Vaughan Gething.

Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth described it as a serious and solemn day and called for Mr.

Gething to resign.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he denied that the vote was playing politics and said Mr.

Gething had shown no contrition over the donation controversy.

One Labour candidate, who wished to remain anonymous, said they wanted to distance themselves from Mr.

Gething, adding that the issue was coming up in doorstep conversations.

Another candidate mentioned that the First Minister’s troubles were being discussed on doorsteps but were not impacting people’s votes.

In Grange Gardens, Mr.

Gething’s Cardiff South and Penarth Senedd constituency, voters were aware of the controversy, although few indicated it would sway their vote on 4 July.

Ben Sullivan, 24, who is leaning towards voting Labour, acknowledged the donation scandal but said it would not affect his vote in Westminster as it is time to get the Conservatives out.

However, he added that he had heard good things about Mr.

Gething and knew he had done a lot for the community.

More broadly, some voters expressed a loss of faith in the main political parties and were considering voting for the Green Party or independents.

Sarah Johnston said that while she thinks the donation row is not a good look, she will still be voting Labour in the general election.

She does not like the situation but prefers Labour over the Conservatives in a two-horse race.

Plaid Cymru voter Natalie Jones was unsure if the row would affect how people vote in the general election.

There are signs that Mr.

Gething's donation controversy could be impacting support for Labour at the Senedd level but not at Westminster, according to one Welsh political expert.

Dr.

Jac Larner, a lecturer in political science at Cardiff University, noted a significant gap between Westminster vote intention for Labour and Senedd vote intention for Labour.

He mentioned that around 45% of voters say they will vote Labour in a Westminster election, but this drops to about 30% in Senedd elections.

He suggested that Labour is currently less popular in Welsh elections compared to Westminster elections.

He also noted that Keir Starmer is more popular in Wales than Vaughan Gething, which is a reversal from the previous situation under Mark Drakeford, who was consistently more popular than the UK leader.

A spokesman said that Vaughan is focused on delivering for the NHS and the economy and helping to return the UK Labour government that Wales is crying out for.

The party will be focusing on a message of hope and the health service as they gather for their conference.

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