Head of Welsh government says he will stand down later this year

Thomson Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - The head of the devolved government in Wales, Carwyn Jones, said on Saturday he intends to stand down in the second half of this year, BBC news reported on Saturday.

The first minister of Wales told members of his Welsh Labour party that he wanted to give his family, party and country a fresh start after he had been through "the darkest of times".

Last November former Welsh government minister Carl Sargeant, whom Jones had suspended after allegations were made over his conduct with women, was found dead.

The 51-year-old Jones, a Welsh-speaking former barrister and member of Britain's Labour party that opposes Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, has been first minister of Wales since December 2009.

Jones, along with the head of the devolved government in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has opposed May's EU Withdrawal Bill that will in effect sever Britain's legal system from the European Union.

The Welsh and Scottish governments have introduced bills into their parliaments aimed at keeping regional powers that return from Brussels after Brexit. The UK government in London this week appealed to the Supreme Court to rule on whether those bills are constitutionally sound.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; editing by Gareth Jones)

See Also:

• Armenian Prime Minister calls for dialogue with opposition protesters

• U.S. student anti-gun activists to keep momentum alive over summer

• India approves death penalty for child rapists