The Guardian – Turmoil for Labour in Wales after Gething resigns as first minister
The Guardian says Labour is facing weeks of political deadlock in Wales after Vaughan Gething quit as first minister following a turbulent four months of infighting and scandal. It also features an exclusive on former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Citing a leaked Cabinet Office memo, it says Sunak was warned that he was at risk of breaching his legal responsibilities if he failed to take action over prison overcrowding while in his role as PM. A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office declined to comment on the document, the paper reports.
Elsewhere, an image of Gareth Southgate makes the front page following his resignation as England’s manager.
Welsh Labour faces weeks of turmoil after Vaughan Gething resigns
Labour is facing weeks of political deadlock in Wales after Vaughan Gething quit as first minister after a turbulent four months of infighting and scandal, with a replacement not expected until the autumn.
Gething has faced a series of controversies, including over donations and claims he sought to delete sensitive messages, since he took over from Mark Drakeford as first minister and the leader of Welsh Labour in March.
He refused to quit when he lost a vote of confidence in the Senedd in June, but was finally forced out on Tuesday after four ministers resigned from his government.
In a letter, Jeremy Miles, the economy secretary, who lost narrowly to Gething in the race to succeed Drakeford, urged the first minister to step down for the sake of the party and for Welsh devolution, saying: “We cannot continue like this.”
Rishi Sunak ‘risked breaching legal responsibilities over prison crisis’
Rishi Sunak was warned by senior civil servants a week before he called the election that he was at risk of breaching his legal responsibilities if he failed to take action over the prison overcrowding crisis, a leaked document reveals.
The advice, sent to the former prime minister on 15 May, said that failing to make an urgent decision on prison capacity would mean the criminal justice system in England and Wales reaching the point of “critical failure”.
The Cabinet Office memo, seen by the Guardian, warned that the administration of justice would become “untenable” to the point that the police and judiciary would no longer be able to exercise their legal duties.
Senior civil servants felt that the prisons overcrowding crisis was so severe over the following weeks that the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, chaired emergency Cobra meetings himself on how to respond.
Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
If you are someone who reads every perspective of a story, here is a news summary of all of today’s front pages from today’s newspapers; summarised in a 2-minute read
Editorial 17 July 2024.
Wednesday’s front pages feature a variety of stories covering national and international politics as well as domestic stories including the resignation of England football manager Gareth Southgate – who resigned yesterday after eight years in charge.
Elsewhere, Jay Slater, 19, whose body was found yesterday also makes the front pages. There is also room for the latest from TV shows and showbiz gossip.