Wales’ new first minister Eluned Morgan vowed to focus on the “issues that matter most to people” as she outlined the Welsh Government’s priorities.

Baroness Morgan, who took the reins in August after Vaughan Gething was forced to resign, promised to prioritise health, education and the economy ahead of the next election in 2026.

She said her new-look Welsh Government has spent the summer listening to people in every corner of Wales, helping to shape her plans.

She told the Senedd: “Health and social care, particularly addressing those long waiting times for treatment, are the top priorities.

“There’s also a strong desire for us to make faster progress on improving education standards, and in creating jobs and growing the economy over the next 18 months.”

The first minister stressed that delivery, accountability and improved productivity will be the watch-words of her administration over the next 18 months.

Baroness Morgan, who was health secretary for three years before taking the top job, vowed to cut long NHS waits, including in mental health, and improve access to social care.

Baroness Morgan cautioned that tough decisions lie ahead due to a £22bn “black hole” in the UK’s finances which she claimed was left by the previous Conservative government.

“I know that this won’t be easy,” she warned. “And I know the damage that 14 years of Conservative mismanagement has done to the UK’s public finances.

“As Nye Bevan, the founder of the NHS, said: ‘The language of priorities is the religion of socialism.’ That’s what we’re going to do in government.

“Today, we have the best opportunity in more than 14 years to realise our ambitions.”

Wales’ first minister, who was appointed six weeks ago, hailed a new dawn – with a “partnership of power” between two Labour governments at either end of the M4.

Andrew RT Davies claimed it was the seventh such statement on priorities in the past year, saying it was the lightest on detail since he was elected more than a decade ago.

The Conservative leader warned: “It’s no wonder those charged with delivering this … really don’t know which way to turn.”