First Minister of Wales

First Minister of Wales
Prif Weinidog Cymru
Logo used to represent First Minister
Flag of Wales
Incumbent Mark Drakeford since 13 December 2018 (2018-12-13)
Style	First Minister (informal) The Right Honourable (UK and Commonwealth) His Excellency (international)
Status	Head of Government
Abbreviation	FM
Member of	Senedd Cabinet
Reports to	Senedd
Seat	Cardiff
Nominator	Senedd
Appointer	The Monarch
Term length	Five years
Formation	12 May 1999
First holder	Alun Michael AM
Salary	£147,983 per annum[1]
Website	gov.wales/rt-hon-mark-drakeford-ms

This article is part of a series within UK politics on the
Politics of Wales
The Crown The Monarch Elizabeth II Heir Apparent Charles, Prince of Wales Prerogative Royal family Succession Privy Council Queen-in-Parliament Lord Lieutenant Llwynywermod England and Wales Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 Principality of Wales
Government Welsh Government Second Drakeford government First Minister Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS (L) Counsel General Mick Antoniw MS (L) Cabinet Civil Service Welsh Budget Taxation Directorates Sponsored bodies State-owned enterprises Crown Buildings, Cathays Park
Legislature Senedd Sixth Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones MS (PC) Primary legislation Acts Measures Statutory Instruments Leader of the Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS (C) Shadow Cabinet Members (MSs) Current Members Elections Constituencies and electoral regions First Minister's Questions Devolution referendum (2011 referendum) Government of Wales Act 1998 (2006 Act · 2014 Act · 2017 Act) Senedd estate, Cardiff Bay Senedd building Tŷ Hywel Pierhead Building
Wales and the United Kingdom HM Government Second Johnson ministry Prime Minister Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP (C) Deputy Prime Minister Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP (C) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Simon Hart MP (C) UK Parliament 58th Parliament House of Commons Wales Office Grand Committee Select Committee Government of Wales Act 2006 Elections Constituencies Current Westminster MPs Barnett formula Devolution Reserved matters Legislative consent motion Independence
Law and Justice Welsh law English law Wales-only laws Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 Wales and Berwick Act 1746 Capital of Wales: Cardiff Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales President of Welsh Tribunals Police forces (list) Police and crime commissioner (list)
Local administration History Subdivisions of Wales Historic counties (list) Preserved counties (list) Principal areas (list) Former districts (list pre-1973 · list 1974-1996) Communities (list) Local government Principal councils (leader list) Cities Cardiff (Mayor / Council) Swansea (Mayor / Council) Newport (Mayor / Council) Community council (list) Communities with city status (Bangor · St Asaph · St Davids)
Elections and referendums Senedd elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 Next United Kingdom Parliament elections 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 European Parliament elections (1979-2020) 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 Local elections 1993 1995 1999 2004 2008 2012 2017 2022 Police and crime commissioner elections 2012 2016 2021 Referendums 1975 1979 1997 2011 2011 2016 Senedd constituencies Senedd electoral regions UK parliamentary constituencies in Wales Political parties Represented in the Senedd (Labour Conservatives Plaid Cymru Liberal Democrats) Think tanks
Category · Wales portal Other countries
v t

The first minister of Wales (Welsh: prif weinidog Cymru) is the leader of the Welsh Government and keeper of the Welsh Seal. The first minister chairs the Welsh Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Welsh Government policy. Additional functions of the first minister include promoting and representing Wales in an official capacity, at home and abroad, and responsibility for constitutional affairs, as they relate to devolution and the Welsh Government.

The first minister is a Member of the Senedd, and is nominated by the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru)—before being officially appointed by the Monarch. Members of the Welsh Cabinet and junior ministers of the Welsh Government, as well as law officers, are appointed by the first minister. As head of the Welsh Government, the first minister is directly accountable to the Senedd for their actions and the actions of the Welsh Government. The main office of the first minister is in Tŷ Hywel which is adjacent to the Senedd building in Cardiff Bay. An additional office is also kept at the Crown Buildings, Cathays Park, Cardiff which is the headquarters of the Welsh Government.

Mark Drakeford of the Welsh Labour Party is the current first minister of Wales. He assumed office on 13 December 2018 as Wales' fourth First Minister, and the fourth first minister from the Labour Party, succeeding Carwyn Jones.

Terminology[]

Where initially established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, Section 53(1), the post was known as Assembly First Secretary (Welsh: Prif Ysgrifennydd y Cynulliad), as Wales was given a less powerful assembly and executive than either Northern Ireland or Scotland. The choice of title was also attributed to the fact that the Welsh term for First Minister, Prif Weinidog, may also be translated as Prime Minister, so a different title was chosen to avoid confusion with the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The change of title occurred after the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with Labour in the Welsh Assembly in October 2000. The Government of Wales Act 2006 allowed for the post to be officially known as "First Minister" and also made the first minister Keeper of the Welsh Seal.

On 22 October 2021, Mark Drakeford, the incumbent First Minister, changed his Twitter handle from @fmwales to @PrifWeinidog, in what has been described by some media as an effort to increase usage of the shortened Welsh language term for First Minister and Prime Minister. The post remains officially and commonly known as "First Minister" in English.^[2]

Nomination and appointment[]

Candidates for the position of First Minister are nominated by the members of the Senedd. The members elect the nominee for the first minister by majority vote. If no one is elected by a majority of votes cast with the first set of nominations, the process continues until a majority decide to cast their vote for one candidate. This process does not require an absolute majority of the Senedd (currently 31 out of 60 members)

Once this process has occurred the presiding officer shall formally send a letter to the reigning Monarch who must then appoint that nominee to the position of First Minister.^[3]

Role[]

Under the arrangements in the Government of Wales Act 1998, executive functions are conferred on the Senedd and then separately delegated to the first minister and to other Cabinet Ministers and staff as appropriate.

Until the Government of Wales Act 2006, these were delegated powers of the UK government. Since that Act came into force in May 2007, however, the first minister is appointed by the monarch and represents the Crown in Wales. Whilst this has little practical difference, it was a huge symbolic shift as for the first time the head of government in Wales is appointed by the Crown on the advice of the elected representatives of the Welsh people.

The first minister appoints the Welsh Ministers, Deputy Welsh Ministers and the Counsel General for Wales (collectively known as the Welsh Government), with the approval of Her Majesty.

Following separation between the legislative and the executive on the enactment of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (upon appointment of the first minister, 25 May 2007), the Welsh Ministers exercise functions in their own right. Any further transfers of executive functions from the UK Government will be made directly to the Welsh Ministers (with their consent) by an Order in Council approved by Parliament.

The first minister is accountable and responsible for:

• Exercise of functions by the Cabinet of the Welsh Government.
• Policy development and coordination of policy.
• The relationships with the rest of the United Kingdom, Europe and Wales Abroad.
• Staffing/Civil Service

List of First Secretaries and First Ministers[]

No.		Portrait	Name (Birth–Death) Constituency/Title	Term of office			Political party	Elected	Government	Deputy
	1		Alun Michael (1943–) AM for Mid and West Wales As First Secretary	12 May 1999	9 February 2000	273 days	Labour	1999	Michael Lab (minority)	none
	2		Rhodri Morgan (1939–2017) AM for Cardiff West Office renamed First Minister on 16 October 2000	9 February 2000	10 December 2009	9 years, 304 days	Labour	—	Interim Morgan Lab (minority)	none
								—	1st Morgan Lab – LD		Mike German (LD) 2000–01 and 2002-03 Jenny Randerson 2001–02 (acting)
								2003	2nd Morgan Lab (minority)	none
								2007	3rd Morgan Lab (minority)
								—	4th Morgan Lab – Plaid		Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru)
	3		Carwyn Jones (1967–) AM for Bridgend	10 December 2009	12 December 2018<[4]	9 years, 2 days	Labour	—	1st Jones Lab – Plaid
								2011	2nd Jones Lab (minority)	none
								2016	3rd Jones Lab – LD - Ind
	4		Mark Drakeford (1954–) MS for Cardiff West	13 December 2018	Incumbent	3 years, 16 days*	Labour	—	Drakeford Lab – LD - Ind	none
								2021	2nd Drakeford Lab (minority)	none

* Incumbent's duration of term of office last updated: 28 December 2021.

Timeline[]

Previous nominations[]

2021[]

On 12 May 2021, Mark Drakeford was the only person nominated for the position (by Rebecca Evans), and was a subsequently recommended by the presiding officer to be appointed as First Minister.^[5]

2018[]

2016[]

2011[]

On 11 May 2011, Carwyn Jones was the only person nominated for the position (by Janice Gregory), and was a subsequently recommended by the presiding officer to be appointed as First Minister.^[9]

2009[]

On 9 December 2009, Carwyn Jones was the only person nominated for the position (by Rhodri Morgan), and was a subsequently recommended by the presiding officer to be appointed as First Minister.^[10]

2007[]

On 25 May 2007, Rhodri Morgan was the only person nominated for the position (by Jane Hutt), and was a subsequently recommended by the presiding officer to be appointed as First Minister.^[11]

2003[]

On 7 May 2003, Rhodri Morgan was the only person nominated for the position (by Lynne Neagle), and was a subsequently elected as First Minister.^[12]

2000[]

On 9 February 2000, following the resignation of Alun Michael, the Assembly cabinet unanimously elected Rhodri Morgan as acting First Secretary.^[13]

1999[]

On 12 May 1999, Alun Michael was the only person nominated for the position (by Rhodri Morgan and seconded by Ann Jones), and was a subsequently elected as First Secretary.^[14]

See also[]

• List of current heads of government in the United Kingdom and dependencies
• Deputy First Minister for Wales
• Welsh Government

References[]

Notes[]

• Dates are from World Statesmen and various BBC News Online articles from 1999 to 2003.

External links[]

• [1] Roles and Responsibilities.
• Cabinet members and ministers Welsh Government: Cabinet and ministers.