University of Hull graduate Eluned becomes First Minister of Wales

The University of Hull has a long and proud tradition of alumni who make a significant contribution to the world of politics. Having been on the political stage for thirty years, Eluned Morgan was already an influential, inspiring and history-making Hull alumna. Earlier this month however, her long and distinguished career reached what was surely her proudest moment: when she became First Minister of Wales, the first woman to hold that role.

After being awarded a BA in European Studies from the University of Hull in 1990, Eluned Morgan has enjoyed a remarkable career in politics. Upon her election in 1994 at the age of 27, she became not only the youngest person to win a seat in the European Parliament, but only the fifth Welsh woman ever to be elected to a full-time political position. Three years later she would play a key role in arguing, during the referendum of 1997, for the creation of the Welsh Assembly, which she now leads. She also made history when she became the first Welsh woman to have a baby whilst in office.

Inequality, education and energy have been at the heart of Eluned’s interest in politics.

Between 1994 and 2009, when she served as an MEP, Eluned was the Labour Party spokesperson on industry, science and energy. She was also spokesperson for the 200 strong Socialist Group on Budget Control Matters and was author of the Green Paper on energy on behalf of the European Parliament. In 2011 she was made a Life Peer in the House of Lords from where she served in Shadow Minister roles, and in 2016 she returned to front line politics in the Welsh Assembly.

Inequality, education and energy have been at the heart of Eluned’s interest in politics. In 1994, after taking her seat in the European Parliament, she talked about the need to support peripheral areas in the EU, saying in an interview with the Times: “Wealth must be redistributed to help those areas which need more. There are 20,000 unemployed in my constituency.”[i]

Eluned graduated with a BA in European Studies in 1990.

In an interview with Wales Online in 2016, when she first ran to lead the Labour Party in Wales, she talked about the importance of becoming an expert in a particular area in order to help bring about change. For her, that area was energy and she was motivated by a desire to be involved in an area where women are not as well-represented and by helping to find an answer to climate change. Particularly, she wanted to make sure that the issue was addressed in a way that didn’t drive further inequality: "My interest was always, as a socialist, how do we do this without hurting the poor."[ii]

Eluned also knows the value of education, which was one of her motivations for initially standing for election to the Senedd. "I know as a parent of two young children at school in Wales that they have one shot at education – we have to make it a good shot.”[iii]

Eluned has gone on to serve the people of Wales with distinction, representing an inspiration to the next generation of students.

Professor Dave Petley

Since graduating from the University of Hull, Eluned’s achievements have been remarkable, standing as an inspiration to a new generation of women in Wales and across the UK. As she tackles the great challenges ahead, it will be hoped that her background, experience and values will help her as she seeks to serve the people of Wales.

We will continue to watch her career with pride from Hull, and remember what she said when she was first elected to the European Parliament in 1994: ''I'll be able to use all my skills. I'll be having lunch with the people whom I studied.''[iv]

Professor Dave Petley, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull, said: “We are immensely proud of Eluned as a graduate of the University of Hull. She has gone on to serve the people of Wales with distinction, representing an inspiration to the next generation of students. She is a shining example of the ways in which a Hull education can prepare students for a lifetime of achievement.”

We wish Eluned all the best, and hope that her studies at Hull have served her well from those early lunches in the European Parliament to the task of steering Wales through the coming years.

[i] The Times, June 22, 1994, Wednesday

[ii] walesonline.co.uk, November 6, 2018 Tuesday 6:07 PM GMT

[iii] walesonline.co.uk, June 23, 2015 Tuesday 8:27 PM GMT

[iv] The Times, June 22, 1994, Wednesday

Last updated

4.40 pm, 21 August 2024