The leader of Wales' government will resign after several members of his government quit over a campaign donation scandal.
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"I have this morning taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour Party and, as a result, first minister," Vaughan Gething said.
The announcement on Tuesday came after four members of Gething's semi-autonomous government quit, demanding he resign.
Gething, the son of a Welsh father and a Zambian mother, made history in March when he was elected by Welsh MPs to head the Cardiff-based administration, becoming the first Black leader of a government in the UK.
He has faced criticism for accepting Stg200,000 ($A380,000) in donations during his leadership campaign from a recycling company whose owner had been found guilty of environmental offences and breaching health and safety regulations.
Another company with the same owner was given a loan by the government-owned Development Bank of Wales in 2023 when Gething was economy minister.
His leadership has crumbled since the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru ended a co-operation arrangement with Gething's minority Labour government in April.
Gething's relations with some in his own party soured when he fired government minister Hannah Blythyn for allegedly leaking private phone messages about the COVID-19 pandemic to the media, a claim she denies.
In June, Gething lost a non-binding no-confidence vote in Wales' parliament, the Senedd, but said then he would stay in his job.
In a resignation statement, Gething said he had "hoped that over the summer a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal could take place under my leadership".
"I recognise that this is not possible," he said.
He denied wrongdoing, saying: "My integrity matters. I have not compromised it."
Wales, which has a population of about three 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 defence, foreign affairs and other UK-wide issues, while administrations in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast control areas such as education and health.
Australian Associated Press
