It's the toughest job in Welsh politics – so just who would want it?

It's the toughest job in Welsh politics – so just who would want it?After a humiliating Senedd election the once-coveted role of Welsh Labour leader is now suddenly a less desirable postNewsopinionRuth Mosalski Political Editor15:22, 06 Jun 2026View Image'Is this it?' Ken Skates wants to lead the compact Labour group we don't know if he will face a challenge(Image: Matthew Horwood/Getty) Welsh Labour is still licking its wounds – and they are mighty wounds – after the Senedd election result in May. The party wasn't just given a bloody nose – it was given an almighty kicking on every inch of its being. ‌ The party lost its record of 104 years of power in Wales. At every election since 1922 it had been returned as the biggest party but on May 8 it slumped to a distant third place. ‌ It lost control of the Senedd for the first time ever. It fell way behind Reform UK. It lost a seat in Blaenau Gwent – somewhere no-one would ever imagine people would vote for anyone but Labour. Its leader, Eluned Morgan, failed to be re-elected. ‌ In the days that followed the great and the good all had their say. Former First Ministers Carwyn Jones, Mark Drakeford, and Vaughan Gething all chipped in though the most recent holder of the post, Eluned Morgan, has held her silence. Carwyn Jones (now Lord Jones of Pen-y-bont) wrote on LabourList that "Welsh Labour is no longer automatically seen as the force carrying Wales towards its next chapter. In too many places, it is increasingly viewed as part of the establishment people are frustrated with". Mark Drakeford was savage in his review and listed 10 different reasons his party lost. ‌ Vaughan Gething said the equivalent of "not me guv". Welsh secretary Jo Stevens said her own UK Government, as well as Welsh Government, made mistakes that cost the party. So where does Labour go next? And who would be willing to take on the almighty challenge which is up there as one of the trickiest jobs in Welsh politics to solve? ‌ On a gloomy Saturday Welsh Labour's executive are meeting to decide the timetable for appointing a new leader. When that happens we'll likely learn who will throw their names in the ring. We've seen long leadership battles before. There was three months between Mark Drakeford announcing he would stand down and Vaughan Gething being announced as his successor. Conversely we've also seen Eluned Morgan selected and appointed within days. This time? Who knows. In true Labour style there is little agreement. Should Ken Skates, who is the interim leader and who has been clear that he wants the job and has the experience, be allowed a coronation? Or does the party need a very public leadership contest? ‌ The leader of Welsh Labour can only be a Senedd member so you can count the options on two hands. To get on any leadership ballot they need 20% (that's just two) of the current MSs to back them. Or one MS plus the equivalent of seven CLPs. A third route is one MS and three nominations from Welsh Labour-affiliated organisations – which must include at least two affiliated trade unions. A maximum of four candidates could make it to a ballot. When you rule out Huw Irranca-Davies, who has been voted the Llywydd or speaker of the Senedd, that's half the group. ‌ Should we get to a ballot it is a one-member-one-vote ballot, so a successful candidate must win at least 50%. When we asked Ken Skates if he wanted the interim title to be made permanent he was clear that he did. "I'm not anticipating a contest but I wouldn't resent anyone stepping up and stepping forward," he said. So who could put their names in to challenge him? ‌ Realistically you'd look to the two newest members of the Senedd group. Huw Thomas, the former leader of Cardiff council, has experience of running a budget, a big group, and let's not forget the embattled group he took over in 2017. Shav Taj has been the president of the Trades Union Congress. She has contacts, experience, and fresh ideas. Yet they are two politicians with three weeks experience in the Senedd. ‌ Future leaders, maybe, but for now? For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. The three ghosts the leader will have to quieten are these. The present: The leader won't just be the one trying to make a claim for relevance in the Senedd – the entire workings of the party need looking at. Their resources have been decimated because of their election loss yet they need to show there is a point to them. ‌ First up the question of how they play the political game against Plaid Cymru is really tricky. If they back them at every turn they are feeding into the narrative Reform UK peddled in the campaign that they are two sides of the same coin. If they vote against, given the areas where the two parties actually agree, they are being petty. If they abstain? They are irrelevant. Next, the past. The party is, we understand, planning a review of what went wrong. ‌ But there are plenty within Labour's many members who want to see changes of those who were there and made the policies, the strategy, and the plans. In few walks of life would a team which oversaw such a cataclysmic failure get to stay in place. A new leader will have to be ruthless to play the balancing act of showing they are bringing in changes to stop the rot but have enough talent nearby to create plans. And what of the future? ‌ There is less than a year until council election in Wales. Many of those councils that Labour run are in areas the party once considered heartlands and yet are places they lost, or came very close to losing, in the Senedd election. A new leader may promise a review, and to listen, and to learn the lessons (all phrases we've heard a lot before) but unless they work out how to stop their voters marking an X next to a Plaid Cymru or Reform UK box they are in serious trouble. And all that's before any world or UK political events come into play. The job is up for grabs. Mr Skates said if they get it right it will be "incredibly rewarding". Get it wrong, he admitted, it'll be "debilitating" and "tortuous". It feels, in the context of all that's gone before it, a huge decision. Article continues belowGet daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.