As we enter a new year we should take the time to reflect on not just the last year, but the last decade, as well as looking to what is to come in the year ahead.

As well as positives, there were of course negatives which should not be forgotten, but be built upon.

The last decade saw me elected and return to the National Assembly for Wales, appointed as Deputy Minister and then Minister for Health and Social Services.

We also celebrated the birth of our son Isaac. I started the week as usual by walking Isaac to school, enjoying a father-son chat about the day ahead.

2020 has seen a rocky start with wildfires ravaging through Australia and tensions rising in the Middle East but this cannot set the tone for what is to come.

As someone who has family in Australia, I am truly appalled to see the spread and devastation of the fires, but also the initial response from senior Australian politicians.

Their denial of the link between the climate emergency which we face globally and the disaster which has swept across their nation is completely incomprehensible.

Moving forward we must accept that we are in a state of emergency and must take drastic action to limit as much of the impact as practicably possible.

We certainly have an interesting year, if not decade ahead. The UK’s withdrawal from the EU will begin later this month and we have a Conservative Government in Westminster until at least 2024.

Regardless of the numbers in the Commons, the Labour Party still has to stand up for those we represent. I am confident that my colleague, Stephen Doughty MP will continue to do that.

The Labour Party will now move to elect a new Leader and Deputy Leader, a chance to reunite the Party and hold the Prime Minister to account for his actions.

I am truly glad to see that several MPs from across the Party have put their names forward to stand for both positions. This offers the membership and the country a broader choice.

I am yet to decide who I will back in the forthcoming election but I know that I want to see a vision from each of the candidates. For me, that vision needs to be a realistic reflection of our last decade out of government in Westminster, but also a strategy for reconnecting with our voters and securing a Labour government which can deliver for those who need us most.

Finally, I want to thank the staff across the NHS and wider public services for their hard work under increasing pressures, particularly during the winter period.

Our public services work hard all year round and many take the sacrifice of working over the Christmas and New Year period for which I, and many others, are extremely grateful.

As ever if you would like to speak with me, you can call my office on 0300 200 7150 or write to me at Vaughan.Gething@assembly.wales or Office of Vaughan Gething AM, Room C201, National Assembly for Wales, CF99 1NA.