Mark Drakeford confirmed as new Welsh first minister - BBC News
The Cardiff West AM is confirmed as the new first minister after a vote in the Senedd.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mark Drakeford, photographed by a Labour AM sat in the assembly, said the political skies had "darkened"

Mark Drakeford has been confirmed as the new first minister after a vote in the Welsh Assembly.

Mr Drakeford was backed by 30 AMs, versus 12 for the Conservatives' Paul Davies and nine for Plaid Cymru's Adam Price.

The AM for Cardiff West and former finance minister said that in a "fractured world" AMs should strive for "a kinder sort of politics".

He said the assembly should be a "beacon of hope".

The Queen is expected to endorse his appointment in the next 24 hours.

Mr Drakeford will then need to be sworn in by a senior judge before he can officially take up office.

Accepting his nomination for the job, Mr Drakeford referred to the no confidence vote Theresa May faces later from Conservative MPs.

Mark Drakeford was confirmed as first minister after he won the Welsh Labour leadership contest, which finished last week

"When I was elected as the leader of the Labour Party last week I said that I wanted to be a beacon of hope in a darkening world," he said.

"Today is not a moment for partisan remarks, but the skies around us has darkened even further in the days that have followed.

"A species of madness has descended on the Conservative Party, in which a significant number of MPs appear to believe that our country's future is best secured by heaping a leadership contest on to the burning platform that Brexit has become."

He urged AMs to make sure their actions would "make a difference in a fractured and uneasy world".

Mr Drakeford added: "It is an enormous privilege to lead a political party here in Wales, and even more so be nominated and elected as first minister in the National Assembly. I am absolutely conscious both of the opportunity and the responsibility which comes with this position."

Mr Drakeford was nominated for the job by his predecessor first minister Carwyn Jones, now sat on the backbenches. In a roll call vote, Labour AMs, Liberal Democrat AM Kirsty Williams and independent AM Dafydd Elis-Thomas all backed him.

The two largest opposition parties - the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru - nominated their own leaders for the job while UKIP abstained.

Following the vote, it was confirmed that Ms Williams will remain in her role as education secretary in Mr Drakeford's cabinet following an agreement with the new Welsh Labour leader.

"This agreement allows us to build on our achievements over the last two years and to continue on our national mission of raising standards, reducing the attainment gap, and delivering an education system that is a source of national pride and public confidence," she said.

Mark Drakeford was applauded by Labour AMs after he was confirmed as the new first

In his debut speech as first minister, Mark Drakeford didn't talk about the nitty-gritty of delivering public services.

Instead, he set his sights on offering a "kinder sort of politics" and talked about his ambition to be a "beacon of hope".

It wasn't a time for partisan politics, he said... before quickly piling into the Tories over Brexit and their leadership machinations in Westminster.

As a former government adviser and then a cabinet minister, Mr Drakeford has had a long apprenticeship.

He'll hope to put his own stamp on the Welsh Government after nine years under Carwyn Jones's leadership.

But like Mr Jones's own acceptance speech nine years ago, Mr Drakeford paid tribute to their predecessor, Rhodri Morgan.