Home > Rhodri Morgan

Controversy surrounded Morgan's rise to his present position. Originally one of only two sitting Welsh Labour MPs who chose to enter the Assembly, he vied with the sitting Secretary of State for Wales, Ron Davies, for the post of Labour leader. When Davies was forced to pull out of the running as a result of scandal, Morgan was favoured to take over. However, Downing Street preferred a less radical MP, Alun Michael, who had taken over from Davies as Welsh Secretary but had until then shown little interest in the Assembly. After what many thought was an unfair campaign, Michael was elected to the leadership. When he was forced to resign by a vote of no confidence instigated by opposition parties within the assembly, Morgan finally took up the post which many felt should have been his from the beginning.

Rhodri Morgan's wife, Julie Morgan, is also a Cardiff MP.

On May 1May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). There are 244 days remaining. Events 305 Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. 1328 Wars of Scottish Independence end: Treaty of Edinburgh-North, 20032003 is a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar), and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Summary Perhaps the defining global event of the year 2003 was the Invasion of Iraq launched by the U, Labour under Morgan's leadership was re-elected in the Assembly elections by a landslide. Morgan achieved his treasured ambition of winning an overall majority (despite the fact that the election was held under proportional representationProportional Representation PR describes various multi-winner electoral systems which try to ensure that the proportional support gained by different groups is accurately reflected in the election result. Proportional representation is also used to descri, Labour won 30 of the 60 seats in the Assembly and achieved an overall majority when an opposition AM was elected Presiding Officer of the Assembly) and named his cabinet on May 9May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). There are 236 days remaining. Events 328 Athanasius elected bishop of Alexandria. 1092 Lincoln Cathedral is consecrated. 1429 Joan of Arc defeats the English troops besieg. The separatist Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru (literally meaning, "Party of Wales") was the name for the Welsh Nationalist Party used from the late 1920s until it was formally changed to Plaid Cymru The Party of Wales in the late 1990s. In Wales the party is often familiarly referred to a collapsed, losing 5 of its 17 AMs and Labour gained back their traditional strongholds like the Rhondda on huge swings of up to 21%.