Stefan Rousseau/PA
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced he is standing down as Labour leader, triggering the contest to find his successor.
The 69-year-old Labour politician, who has been Wales’ leader since December 2018, said he hoped his replacement could be in place before Easter 2024.
At a news conference in Cardiff, he said: “In the meantime, I will remain as First Minister in the full sense of that job.”
He has suffered a slump in poll ratings and has come under fire for policies including the widespread use of 20mph limits on Welsh roads.
A YouGov poll of 1,004 Welsh voters for ITV Cymru Wales and Cardiff University earlier this month found his popularity is at an 18-month low, with 56% believing he is doing a bad job of being First Minister.
Mr Drakeford was first elected to the Senedd in 2011 as the Member for Cardiff West.
He served in various ministerial roles from 2013 under the leadership of Carwyn Jones, before succeeding him as First Minister and Welsh Labour leader in 2018.
