I’ve gone and pun it again; apologies.
A question for you: Who could be Labour’s most powerful minister in a year’s time?
The answer: Huw Lewis or Carwyn Jones.
Not exactly household figures. But if the Labour government falls the party will no longer hold national government, the post of London mayor nor Edinburgh.
That leaves the Welsh assembly, which has fewer powers than Holyrood. Furthermore, Labour is in coalition with the nationalist Plaid Cymru in Cardiff Bay. First minister Rhodri Morgan (pictured) is set to retire around the time of the Labour party conference – as he hits the age of 70.
Welsh politics was part of my beat as a regional FT reporter nearly a decade ago and I always liked Morgan’s vaguely shambolic – but wily – charms.
None of his potential successors have much profile east of Offa’s Dyke. Huw Lewis is Merthyr Tydfil assembly member, Carwyn Jones is AM for Bridgend. The other likely contestants are Welsh health minister Edwina Hart, education minister Jane Hutt and finance minister Andrew Davies.
I’m told that Jones is the bookies’ favourite but it’s a fairly open contest. Apparently Labour HQ in London is staying out of things after getting burned last time around. Attempts to parachute Alun Michael into the job of First Minister backfired badly on Tony Blair, as you may (or may not) recall.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey
