David Deans

Vaughan Gething has made history, becoming the first black man to be elected Welsh Labour leader. His victory over Jeremy Miles follows a career in Welsh government that saw him take charge of the Welsh NHS's response to Covid. It also follows a leadership campaign marred by headlines about £200,000 of donations from a controversial waste company in Cardiff. Mr Gething's journey to the frontline of politics began in southern Africa in 1974, when he was born in the capital of Zambia, Lusaka. His father, a vet from Ogmore-by-Sea, a seaside village near the south Wales town of Bridgend, had moved there to work and had met Mr Gething's mother, a chicken farmer. Two years later they moved to Britain and Mr Gething's father was offered a job near Abergavenny in Monmouthshire. However, after he arrived with his black family, that offer was withdrawn. They moved across the border to England and the young Vaughan spent his childhood in Dorset. Mr Gething, whose full name is Humphrey Vaughan ap David Gething, returned to Wales as a student to study at Aberystwyth University, where he lived in the hall of residence, Pantycelyn, where the Welsh language was predominantly spoken. 'He knew more people than anyone else,' said Eifion Williams, who was chairman of the university's Labour club at the time. 'He was friendly with so many people from different departments at the university and he got invitations to go for food from many - he was able to make friends very easily.' Mr Williams remembers 'a lot of fun and banter' between Labour and Plaid Cymru supporters at Pantycelyn. However, Mr Gething has said in the past his time there was 'unpleasant' because of his political beliefs. 'I was surprised about learning how uncomfortable and how angry some of the division was between some Plaid Cymru supporters and the Labour Party,' he said in an interview in 2018. 'There was a real personal unpleasant edge' It was during his time at Aberystwyth that Mr Gething was diagnosed with Nephrotic syndrome, external, a kidney disorder. He had to restart his first year of studying law. Recently he said it was only after a new drug was trialled that he was able to 'look to the future with a feeling of optimism once again.' Mr Gething was elected president of the Students' Union in Aberystwyth, and then of the National Union of Students Wales. He later went on to work as a lawyer, before turning to politics. He was elected to Cardiff council as the Butetown representative in 2004, after defeating Betty Campbell, Wales' first black head teacher, by two votes. Unhappy with Mr Gething's behaviour on election day, Mrs Campbell lodged an official complaint to challenge the result. Mr Gething insists he did nothing wrong and said he and Mrs Campbell were friends again by the end of his time as a councillor. He was first elected to the National Assembly for Wales, as it was called then, to represent Cardiff South and Penarth in 2011, at the same time as his party colleague Ken Skates. Recalling their first encounter, Mr Skates said: 'I realised that he had this burning desire to do something... to serve. 'It was clear to me at the start that he had the qualities required of a leader, principally the ability to make the right judgment calls and great competence as well.' He was also 'ambitious and determined to make good' on his early years' experience of facing 'horrible injustice', Mr Skates said. 'It was obvious that Vaughan was very sharp,' said Eifion Williams. 'And I knew if he wanted to go into politics he would go far.' It was as Welsh health minister that Mr Gething made the biggest impression, as the Covid pandemic threw unprecedented attention on the Welsh government and increased his profile as a politician. 'No other politicians stepped up like Mark [Drakeford] and Vaughan,' said Mr Skates. 'I was in awe of their ability to take the criticism, the hits, the unwarranted personal attacks and to remain focussed on protecting lives and livelihoods.' Following his victory, Mr Gething, who is 50 and has a partner and a young son, will now need to 'step up' again and lead the government he has been part of for over a decade.