Welsh Labour leader race: Runners and riders

Carwyn Jones's announcement that he is quitting as first minister has sent shockwaves through Welsh politics.

Welsh Labour must now find a leader to replace him this autumn.

As of yet there are no firm candidates, but a number of names have been suggested as potentials for the contest.

The Finance Minister Mark Drakeford is widely considered to be a front-runner.

The contest may be his to lose, but would he really want the job?

Mr Drakeford has said he would give the prospect of running "serious consideration", but needed to speak to his family.

His politics would fit the Labour party of 2018, at least from the perspective of the more left-leaning UK leadership which he has been a staunch supporter of.

As well as his current portfolio, he served as health minister in the fourth assembly term during a difficult period when the Welsh NHS' record was under constant attack from the Conservatives in Westminster.

Mr Drakeford has been backed by Corbyn-leaning Labour AMs Mike Hedges and Mick Antoniw.

Mr Antoniw said: "Mark Drakeford is by far the best and most able candidate. I'll be throwing my full support behind Mark Drakeford."

Another widely tipped potential contender is Vaughan Gething, who has not ruled out taking part in the contest.

As health secretary, he spends half of the Welsh budget and oversees arguably the highest profile department in the Welsh Government.

Before he came into the assembly in 2011, Mr Gething worked as a solicitor at Thompsons which has strong connections to the trade union movement.

He served as the youngest president of the TUC in Wales.

Another credible contender would be Welsh language minister Eluned Morgan, the Labour AM for Mid and West Wales.

She has had a parliamentary career spanning longer than two decades.

An MEP between 1994 and 2009, she was the youngest member when she first entered the European Parliament.

Ms Morgan has served in the House of Lords as a Labour frontbencher, and she has private sector experience, having worked for energy-firm Swalec. She was appointed Welsh language minister last year.

Jeremy Miles, the counsel general and AM for Neath, has not ruled himself out of the race.

Like Ms Morgan, he joined the assembly in 2016 - prior to that he worked in legal roles within the media sector, including ITV and NBC Universal.

Asked if he would run, he said it would depend on who put their name forward.

Like Ms Morgan, his experience in Welsh Government is limited - having only been appointed to his job as counsel general last November.

Other potentials could include Local Government Secretary Alun Davies, Children's Minister Huw Irranca-Davies and Economy Secretary Ken Skates - all of whom have given non-committal answers on whether they will or will not run.