Live updates as Welsh Labour begins search for new leader after Vaughan Gething quits

There are calls for an interim leader to replace Vaughan Gething, despite the outgoing First Minister's pledge to carry on until a replacement is named. Mr Gething announced on Tuesday, July 16, he would stand down after four of his cabinet members quit. Welsh Labour's executive committee will meet on Saturday to decide a timetable to elect a new leader.

There are a number of names being touted as his replacement, you can read about those here. Today, as the dust settles on Mr Gething's big announcement, Labour politicians, past and present, are reacting and sharing their thoughts.

One current Labour MS, Rhondda's Buffy Williams has used an open letter to call for Mr Gething to go sooner and an interim leader be appointed. She has said she has "serious concerns about the mental health and wellbeing of all Welsh Labour group members, and members across the chamber, who are under intolerable strain with the ongoing situation". She said the splits within the group have been "heartbreaking".

Conservative group leader, Andrew RT Davies, has said an interim cabinet needs to be appointed. He has said: "With the Welsh Government now missing four ministers, people in Wales will rightly want to know how those ministers’ portfolio responsibilities will be carried out while a new First Minister is selected. The First Minister should now appoint a new interim cabinet while that process takes place."

Live updates below: