Weeks after making history, the first Black leader of Wales faces a no-confidence vote

First Minister of Wales Vaughan Gething speaks at the launch of Labour's six steps for change in Wales at the Priory Centre in Abergavenny, Wales, Thursday, May 30, 2024, while on the General Election campaign trail. The leader of Wales’ semi-autonomous government faces a no-confidence vote in the Welsh parliament on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, but does not plan to resign if he loses, his party said. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

LONDON (AP) — The leader of Wales’ semi-autonomous government faces a no-confidence vote in the Welsh parliament on Wednesday, but does not plan to resign if he loses, his party said.

The opposition Conservatives called the vote of no confidence in Labour First Minister Vaughan Gething after weeks of criticism of his leadership.

Gething’s Labour Party holds 30 of the 60 seats in Wales’ parliament, the Senedd, and two Labour lawmakers were off sick on Wednesday. Labour has relied on support from the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru to win votes, but the parties’ cooperation arrangement collapsed last month.

Vikki Howells, who heads the Labour group of lawmakers in the Senedd, said the Conservatives were refusing to accept “pairing,” the tradition by which parties agree to have members abstain when opponents have to be absent. That makes it likely Gething will lose the vote.

The Conservatives say the pairing system is not normally used for votes on significant issues.

Howells said Gething did not plan to resign if he lost the vote, calling it a Conservative “gimmick.”

Gething, the son of a Welsh father and a Zambian mother, made history in March when he was elected to head the Cardiff-based administration, becoming the first Black leader of a government in the U.K.

During his election campaign he faced criticism for accepting 200,000 pounds ($255,000) in donations from a recycling company whose owner had been found guilty of environmental offenses and breaching health and safety regulations.

Gething said the donations were properly declared under electoral rules, but the issue has not subsided. Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth cited the donations as a reason for ending his party’s agreement with Labour.

Wales, which has a population of about 3 million, is one of four parts of the United Kingdom, along with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The British government in London is responsible for defense, foreign affairs and other U.K.-wide issues, while administrations in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast control areas such as education and health.