Welsh Labour should aim higher, says Vaughan Gething

The Welsh Government cannot afford to indulge in "pet projects", Vaughan Gething has said, attempting to offer a new direction if elected Labour leader.

Delivering a speech in Cardiff, the health secretary said Labour needed the "courage to change" and should acknowledge past mistakes.

He has previously said a decision in 2011 to freeze health spending - in effect a real-terms cut - did not work.

Mark Drakeford is widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed Carwyn Jones.

Parts of the speech will be seen as an attempt by Mr Gething to draw dividing lines between him and finance secretary Mr Drakeford as they fight for members' votes.

The Cardiff South and Penarth AM said Welsh Labour will "instinctively compromise, hedge and position" to gain electoral advantage.

"We can kid ourselves that we are building coalitions and finding consensus - in truth, we are simply opting to take an easier road," he said.

Mr Gething suggested that such an approach is "often understandable" and "sometimes effective", but added: "We can - we should - aim so much higher."

"Tinkering around the edges is no longer good enough - scrabbling to find the money for pet projects at budget time just won't cut it," he said.

Campaign aides say that as first minister Mr Gething would invite other organisations and academics to help "re-think" the way the government tackles poverty.

Mr Gething restated his support for the People's Vote campaign for another referendum on Brexit. And he warned Labour's left against "indulging in absurd media conspiracy theories" about allegations of anti-Semitism within the party.

Mr Gething called for equality in the election to succeed Carwyn Jones, days after he sought to put pressure on Mr Drakeford to open up the contest to a third candidate.

Welsh Language Minister Eluned Morgan is vying to get into the race, but needs one more nomination from a Labour AM to get on the ballot paper.

Earlier this week, Mr Gething said that with so much support in the Senedd, Mr Drakeford could lend some support to Ms Morgan, "otherwise the impression is given that there's an attempt to prevent her from getting on the ballot paper".

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the BBC's Sunday Politics Wales programme he wanted to see the "greatest diversity possible" in the contest.

Ms Morgan has suggested that Mr Drakeford cannot offer the fresh start wanted by the Labour members she had spoken to.

Calling for "a more broad discussion" about the party's future, Ms Morgan said: "They want to see something new happen in the Senedd - and they're asking is it possible for someone who has been central to this place for so many years, is that the sort of 'new' we want to see?"

She added: "Mark Drakeford is an incredibly able politician and I won't say a word against him, but the fact is yes - he has been at the centre of Welsh politics for a very long time and I'm sure that he also would be a great leader, but I think what we need is the opportunity to give that choice to the membership."

Meanwhile, in a letter to the Western Mail, the 16 Labour AMs who have endorsed Mr Drakeford said they were backing him "at a time of unprecedented political turmoil".

"He wants to make sure everyone in Wales has an equal chance in life and we know he will work to achieve a fairer Wales and a more just society," they said.

The winner of the contest will take over from Carwyn Jones as Welsh Labour leader and first minister in December.