Eluned Morgan

Mair Eluned Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Ely, (born 16 February 1967), is a Welsh politician who has served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour since 2024. Morgan is the first woman, and first member of the House of Lords to hold the office of First Minister. She previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in the Welsh Government from 2021 to 2024.

Morgan has been a member of the House of Lords since 2011, a member of the Senedd (MS) since 2016 and was a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1994 to 2009. She is currently on a leave of absence from the House of Lords.

She is a Welsh speaker and was Minister for the Welsh Language from 2017 to 2021. She also served as Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing from 2020 to 2021.

As leader of Welsh Labour and first minister, Morgan has revived Welsh Labour's clear red water strategy used from the early 2000s to 2024, shifting Welsh Labour back to the political left and distancing it from the centrist UK Labour leadership of Keir Starmer, criticising the policies implemented by Starmer's government.

Personal life and education

Morgan was born and brought up in Ely, Cardiff, the daughter of Bob Morgan and Elaine Morgan. She was educated at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf, as well as, through a scholarship, the independent United World College of the Atlantic, and later gained a degree in European Studies from the University of Hull.

Morgan is married to Rhys Jenkins, who is a GP and also a non-stipendiary priest. Morgan's family hails from St David's in Pembrokeshire.

In March 2022, Morgan was banned from driving for six months following repeated speeding fines. The offence which took her over the 12-point limit was on a 30mph road in Wrexham.

She has been described as a "committed Christian".

Professional career and voluntary positions

Morgan formerly worked as a researcher for S4C, Agenda TV and the BBC.

After leaving the European Parliament she worked as the Director of National Development for SSE in Wales (SWALEC) from 2009 to June 2013 where she was responsible for establishing the new SWALEC Smart Energy Centre in Treforest. She was appointed Chair of the Cardiff Business Partnership.

Morgan is a Fellow of Trinity College Carmarthen and is an Honorary-Distinguished Professor and Fellow of Cardiff University. She served on the board of the International Baccalaureate Organisation for three years. She was the Chair of the Cardiff Business Partnership. She was a member of the External Advisory Board to the Wales Governance Centre. She served on the Council of Atlantic College. She was Chair of Live Music Now in Wales, a charity which sends talented young musicians to care homes and special schools and demonstrates the transformational impact of music, from 2012 to 2016.

Political career

Welsh Labour and Yes for Wales

Morgan served on the Welsh Labour Party Executive for ten years and was appointed to the Welsh Assembly Advisory Group, which was responsible for developing the standing orders of the Senedd. She was a founding member of the Yes for Wales Cross-party group, which campaigned for the Assembly to be established.

European Parliament

In 1990, Morgan worked as a stagiaire in the European Parliament for the Socialist Group.

In 1994, Morgan was elected as a Member of the European Parliament representing Mid and West Wales. At the time she was the youngest MEP when she took up her seat. She continued as an MEP representing the Wales constituency, being elected at both the 1999 and 2004 elections, before standing down at the 2009 elections.

Morgan served as the budget control spokesperson for the 180 strong Socialist Group. She was also the Labour Party's European spokesperson on Energy, Industry and Science. She was responsible for drafting the European Parliament's response to the Energy Green Paper and also took the lead role in negotiating on behalf of the Parliament the revision of the Electricity Directive.

House of Lords

On 19 November 2010 it was announced that Morgan had been granted a life peerage and would sit on the Labour benches of the House of Lords, and was gazetted on 27 January 2011 as Baroness Morgan of Ely in the City of Cardiff. From 2013–2016, Morgan served as the Shadow Minister for Wales in the House of Lords, and from 2014 to 2016 she served as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and also as a whip. She was responsible for leading for Labour in the House of Lords on the EU Referendum Bill and led for Labour on two Wales Bills.

Morgan is currently on a leave of absence from the House of Lords, and has been since 2017. In 2018, Morgan stated that if she were to become First Minister, she would renounce her peerage. In 2024, when Morgan became First Minister, she instead stated she wanted to 'pause' her peerage, and 'have that opportunity if necessary to think about what happens in the future.'

Senedd and Welsh Government

In 2015 Morgan was selected as a candidate for the 2016 Welsh election on the Mid and West Wales regional list. On 5 May 2016 she was elected from the regional list as an Assembly Member in the Senedd.

In November 2017 she was appointed Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning. She contested the 2018 Welsh Labour leadership election, but was not successful, coming third. She was then appointed by First Minister Mark Drakeford as Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language in December 2018 before being moved to Minister for Mental Health, Wellbeing and the Welsh Language in October 2020.

Morgan was re-elected at the 2021 Senedd election, and a week later was appointed Minister for Health and Social Services. In March 2023, the Welsh Conservatives submitted a motion of no confidence in her, following mounting criticism of Morgan's handling of the Betsi Cadwaladr crisis. The motion was defeated, with 26 votes in favor and 29 against.

Morgan endorsed Vaughan Gething in the February–March 2024 Welsh Labour leadership election. She retained her role as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in the Gething government.

Leader of Welsh Labour

In July 2024, Morgan announced that she would be standing in the July 2024 Welsh Labour leadership election on a unity ticket with Huw Irranca-Davies, who would serve as her deputy first minister if she was elected leader. On 24 July 2024, she was confirmed to be the only candidate that met the 5 nomination threshold, and was therefore elected as leader of Welsh Labour.

First Minister of Wales (2024–present)

On 6 August 2024, Morgan was officially sworn in as the First Minister of Wales, following her nomination by the Senedd, which was recalled from its summer recess for this purpose. As the leader of the largest party in the Senedd, Morgan secured the position with 28 votes, marking the beginning of her tenure as Wales' first female First Minister.

Upon entering government as the first minister, one of the first issues to face Morgan was the prospect of the 2024 United Kingdom riots beginning in Wales. In a statement, Morgan said that she was "not complacent", further adding that Wales was a "society and a nation that should be welcoming people... we cannot let those people who are determined to be destructive within our communities to get a hold".

Shortly after taking office, Morgan met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Cardiff during his visit to Wales. The meeting focused on "resetting the relationship" between the UK and Welsh governments. Key topics included NHS funding, energy independence, and the future of Tata Steel jobs in Wales. They also discussed the development of renewable energy through the Welsh Government's initiative, Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, aimed at producing clean energy and creating skilled jobs in Wales.

On 2 October 2024, she was sworn into the Privy Council.

Notes

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Eluned
1967 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of Hull
Female heads of government in the United Kingdom
Women heads of government of non-sovereign entities
Female members of the Senedd
First ministers of Wales
Politicians from Cardiff
People educated at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf
People educated at Atlantic College
MEPs for Wales 1994–1999
MEPs for Wales 1999–2004
MEPs for Wales 2004–2009
20th-century women MEPs for Wales
21st-century women MEPs for Wales
SSE plc
Labour Party (UK) life peers
Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Welsh Labour MEPs
Welsh-speaking politicians
Welsh Labour members of the Senedd
Wales MSs 2016–2021
Wales MSs 2021–2026
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Welsh politicians convicted of crimes