In Pictures: Wales marks 25 years of Senedd and elects two first ministers
PA Reporters
·5-min read
Politics was at the forefront of much of the news in Wales across 2024, with three first ministers holding office during the year the Senedd marked its 25th anniversary, while a general election saw the main party leaders vying for Welsh votes on the campaign trail.
There were a range of royal visits, including by the King and Queen to mark the Senedd celebration in July, while the return of Gavin And Stacey saw Welsh stars Ruth Jones, Joanna Page and Rob Brydon back in Barry in September for a final round of filming of the hit BBC show.
Several communities were disrupted by named storms including Lilian bringing 70mph winds in August and Bert which resulted in severely flooded streets in November.
Then-first minister Vaughan Gething speaks at the launch of Labour’s six steps for change in Wales at the Priory Centre in Abergavenny during the general election campaign in May. After just over four months in the role, the first black man to be elected Welsh Labour leader quit after sustained pressure which culminated in him losing a non-binding vote of confidence in the Senedd (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Dame Eluned Morgan, seen here with Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm in South Wales in August, was sworn in as First Minister on August 6, the third leader of the country in a year and the first woman to lead the Welsh Government (Ben Birchall/PA)
On the general election trail, Conservative leader Rishi Sunak seemed delighted by the meat counter of a farm shop on the outskirts of Mold. He was less pleased with the ballot boxes with the Tories losing all 13 seats they held in Wales (Aaron Chown/PA)
For Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer ice cream was on the menu as he served up some creamy cones alongside his key policy pledges to day trippers on Barry seafront in South Wales (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
It was full speed ahead for Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey as he launched himself down the hill at Knighton in Powys, in a series of campaign trail stunts before his party gained a Welsh seat on polling day (Jacob King/PA)
In a speech peppered with Welsh, the King described the 25th anniversary of devolution as a “significant milestone” as he addressed the Senedd in July, adding his “respect and affection for the people of this ancient land” had “deepened with every passing year”.
The King and Queen sit in the Senedd chamber, where Charles touched on his pride in seeing his son, the current Prince of Wales, continue his relationship with the country (Ben Birchall/PA)
The Prince of Wales talks to a young fan at RAF Valley on Anglesey in July after taking on the role of Royal Honorary Air Commodore from his father, the King. William was stationed at the air base as a search and rescue pilot from 2010 to 2013 (Chris Jackson/PA)
A member of the Royal Welsh Battalion leads a goat mascot outside the the Senedd in Cardiff as part of the anniversary celebrations in July (Ben Birchall/PA)
Industrial action across the year saw junior and specialist doctors and chorus members at the Welsh National Opera join picket lines, while farmers brought their tractors to protests over government policy. A planned strike by workers at steel giant Tata over job losses was suspended but it was not enough to keep the blast furnaces at Port Talbot open.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking with farmers after he delivered a speech at the Welsh Conservatives Conference in Llandudno in February (Peter Byrne/PA)
Workers from Tata’s Port Talbot steelworks gather at College Green in Westminster after the announcement that the firm was to close blast furnaces at the country’s biggest steel plant (Lucy North/PA)
Members of bereaved families give a press conference in Cardiff after Vaughan Gething, who was health minister during the pandemic, gave evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry as it held hearings in Wales in March (Ben Birchall/PA)
An automated system that helps train wheels grip tracks failed on a train involved in a fatal crash, investigators said. Passenger David Tudor Evans, 66, died and four other people were seriously hurt in the incident at Talerddig, near Llanbrynmair, Powys, in October (Ian Cooper/PA)
It was farewell to Barry Island for the cast of BBC sitcom Gavin And Stacey as they finished filming a final Christmas special, while the cameras for documentary series Welcome To Wrexham captured the drama of the football club’s promotion to League One in April.
Wrexham fans celebrate back-to-back promotions on the pitch after the final whistle of their Sky Bet League Two match against Forest Green Rovers at the Racecourse Ground in April. The club is owned by Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney (Jacob King/PA)
Joanna Page, who plays Stacey Shipman (left) and Ruth Jones, who plays Nessa Jenkins, during filming for the Gavin And Stacey Christmas Day special at Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan in September (Ben Birchall/PA)
Flooding and high winds hit areas of Wales, with Storm Lilian in August bringing winds of up to 70mph, while in November torrential rain during Storm Bert left communities including Pontypridd under water, with a mud slide forcing people from homes in Cwmtillery.
In December, Storm Darragh sparked a rare Government “risk to life” alert when the Met Office issued a red warning for high winds in parts of Wales and south-west England.
Rob Scholes, 75, walking through floodwater and mud after a landslip forced people from their homes in Cwmtillery during Storm Bert in November (George Thompson/PA)
Huge waves crash over the seafront in Porthcawl, south Wales, during Storm Darragh in December (Ben Birchall/PA)
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