Ken Skates

Kenneth Christian Skates (born 2 April 1976) is a Welsh Labour politician who has served as Leader of Welsh Labour since May 2026. He initially served as interim leader, before being appointed as the party's permanent leader unopposed in July 2026.

Skates represented the constituency of Clwyd South in the Senedd from the election of 2011; since 2026 he has represented the seat of Fflint Wrecsam. He is an alumnus of the University of Cambridge, and worked as a journalist prior to becoming a politician. In September 2014 he became the deputy minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport. From May 2016 to December 2018 he was the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills, and was the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales until he stood down on 13 May 2021. He held the Economy, Transport and North Wales position again between July and September 2024, when he assumed the economy portfolio. Following the 2026 Senedd election, Skates became interim Welsh Labour leader, before being elected permanent leader unopposed on 15 July.

Early life and career Skates was born in Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, Wales. He attended Ysgol y Waun in Gwernaffield and the Alun School, Mold, where he gained four A grades at A-levels in maths, physics, English, and politics. He read social and political sciences at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, majoring in European regional policy and economics.

After graduating, Skates took a gap-period in the United States, before joining The Leader (Wrexham) newspaper. He studied for his NVQ in journalism at Yale College, Wrexham, and then went freelance, working for the Daily Express. Skates was the lead Labour candidate for the North Wales regional seat in 2007 but wasn't elected. In 2011 he stood and was elected with 42% of the vote in Clwyd South, and was re-elected in 2016.

In 2012 he was one of four MSs to stand up in the Senedd chamber to talk about their experiences with mental health problems. In a reshuffle in September 2014 he was made Deputy Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport in September 2014, replacing John Griffiths.

Following his re-election as MS for Clwyd South in the May 2016 Senedd elections, Ken Skates was promoted to Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills in the Welsh Government.

In the formation of the Drakeford government in December 2018, Skates was appointed Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales. After the May 2021 Senedd elections, Skates stepped down from the government, and his role was split into two. Vaughan Gething became the new Minister for the Economy, while Lesley Griffiths took over responsibility for North Wales as the new Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales.

He was re-appointed Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales in March 2024. He also held the economy portfolio from July and September 2024 following the resignation of that portfolio's holder.

Skates stood in the new Fflint Wrecsam Senedd constituency in the 2026 Senedd election.

After Labour Leader Eluned Morgan resigned following her loss in the 2026 Senedd election, Skates was appointed Interim Welsh Labour Leader following a meeting of Welsh Labour's executive committee and the Welsh Labour group.

Skates is politically thought to be in the centre of the Labour Party when contrasted with the more left-wing stance of former leader Mark Drakeford.