Ken Skates appointed permanent Welsh Labour leader

Ken Skates has been appointed Welsh Labour's leader after receiving the backing of the party's Senedd group.

He has been interim leader since May's Senedd election left his party with nine Members of the Senedd (MSs).

All nine nominated him, confirming the appointment.

Skates said "I am deeply honoured to have the unanimous backing of my colleagues in the Senedd".

Labour had run the Welsh government for 27 years prior to Plaid Cymru taking control, after an election which saw former Labour leader Eluned Morgan lose her seat.

The appointment comes the day after Plaid Cymru lost a Senedd vote on extra spending plans after Labour refused to support changes to the budget.

Skates said: "I joined the party as a 14-year-old, and my belief still stands that no child's future should be determined by their background.

"That no young person should be judged on anything other than the efforts they make and the decency they show to others.

"The Labour movement for me is a movement for fairness, justice, security and liberty.

"It is a movement that seeks to empower people and communities, to fight against injustice, intolerance, nepotism and cruelty."

Deputy leader of Welsh Labour, Carolyn Harris MP, offered her congratulations.

She said, "He has my full backing as he undertakes the big task ahead of him - listening, learning, rebuilding and doing that crucial job of holding Plaid Cymru, and Reform UK, to account in the Senedd.

"I have no doubt he has the energy, thoughtfulness and optimism to take us forward and I look forward to working alongside him."

The process to formally replace Eluned Morgan was planned to begin in September, but the party announced last week that Labour's MSs had a week to say who they support.

The new timetable has been broadly in line with the process to replace Sir Keir Starmer, which is expected to confirm Andy Burnham as UK Labour leader on Friday and the UK's new prime minister on Monday.

Skates, the MS for Fflint Wrecsam, has previously been interested in standing for the leadership but never formally went for the job.

He was a co-chair of Vaughan Gething's 2023 leadership campaign, and served as a transport minister in the last Welsh Labour government.

He is thought to be in the centre of the party, as compared to the more left-wing stance of former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford.

The party had said in June that it would reveal its new leader at the party's conference in November, with nominations opening in September.

The Welsh executive committee decided to bring the timetable forward.

BBC Wales was told that the move was partly intended to align the MS nomination process with the UK leadership contest and spare the party a summer of uncertainty over Welsh Labour's future direction.