Vaughan Gething said there had to be a place in politics for people “who look like me”, after quitting as Welsh first minister.

Mr Gething, the first black leader of a European nation, announced he was stepping down after four months in the role following a series of controversies.

But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Gething could take “enormous pride” in acting as a role model for “a generation of young people”.

Mr Gething was born in Zambia in 1974, where his father, a Welsh vet from Ogmore-by-Sea in Glamorgan, met his mother, a chicken farmer.

In a statement announcing his resignation, Mr Gething said: “I have always pursued my political career to serve Wales.

“And being able to show underrepresented communities that there is a place for them, for us, is an honour and privilege that will never diminish.”

He added: “To those in Wales who look like me – many of whom I know feel personally bruised and worried by this moment – I know that our country can be better. I know that cannot happen without us.

“There will – and there must be – a government that looks like the country it serves.”

The Prime Minister said: “Vaughan should take enormous pride in being the first black leader of any country in Europe.

“That achievement will have broadened the ambitions and raised the gaze of a generation of young people in Wales and beyond.”