{{short description|Welsh Liberal Democrats frontbench team (1999–2000)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox government cabinet |cabinet_name=First Frontbench Team of Mike German |jurisdiction=the [[National Assembly for Wales]] |cabinet_type=[[Shadow_cabinet#Third_parties|Frontbench Team]] |flag=Flag of Wales 2.svg |flag_border=true |incumbent=May 1999–October 2000 |image=German, Mike (53964360912).jpg |caption=German's official portrait, 1999 |date_formed=13 May 1999 |date_dissolved=16 October 2000 |government_head=[[Mike German]] |government_head_title=Leader |political_party={{ubl|{{Color box|{{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Welsh Liberal Democrats]]}} |legislature_status=[[Opposition party]] {{Composition bar|6|60|{{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}|background-color=|border border-color=darkgray|width=|per=1}} |legislature_term=[[Members of the 1st National Assembly for Wales|1st National Assembly for Wales]] |previous=''Assembly established'' |successor=[[Second Frontbench Team of Mike German|Second Frontbench Team of<br>Mike German]] (2003){{efn|From October 2000 to May 2003, the [[Welsh Liberal Democrats]] participated in a [[First Rhodri Morgan government|coalition government]] with [[Welsh Labour]].}} }} [[Mike German]], the leader of the [[Welsh Liberal Democrats|Welsh Liberal Democrat Group]] in the [[National Assembly for Wales]], formed his [[Frontbencher|frontbench team]] of [[Party spokesperson|party spokespeople]] on 13 May 1999. German had led his party into the [[1999 National Assembly for Wales election]] after being [[Welsh Liberal Democrats inaugural Assembly group election|elected]] as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Group in 1998. This was his first frontbench team in the assembly, with it dissolving after the party entered [[government]] in October 2000. He formed a [[Second Frontbench Team of Mike German|second frontbench team]] after his party returned to [[Opposition party|opposition]] in May 2003.
German's first frontbench served through the resignation of First Secretary [[Alun Michael]] and the fall of his [[Michael administration|Labour administration]]. German negotiated a [[Coalition agreement|coalition deal]] with Michael's successor [[Rhodri Morgan]] in the months following his ascension to the premiership. After gaining the approval of their respective parties, German's Liberal Democrats formed a [[First Rhodri Morgan government|coalition government]] with Morgan's Labour Party, with German becoming the first [[Deputy First Minister of Wales|deputy first minister of Wales]]. The coalition government was dissolved by Morgan after Labour made gains in the [[2003 National Assembly for Wales election]], with German's party returning to opposition and German forming a new frontbench team in May.
== History == German formed his frontbench team of party spokespeople on 13 May 1998, on the [[Frontbench Team of Rod Richards|same day]] as [[Rod Richards]]'s Welsh Conservatives.<ref name=":0" /> All six [[Assembly Member (Welsh Assembly)|assembly members]] (AMs) from the Welsh Liberal Democrat Group were given frontbench roles, including German's' leadership rival [[Christine Humphreys]], who became the group's [[Minister for Education (Wales)|spokesperson for education and training]]. German appointed himself as the group's [[Minister for the Economy (Wales)|spokesperson for economic development and European affairs]]. Other appointments included [[Jenny Randerson]] as its [[Chief Whip|chief whip]] and [[Minister for Education (Wales)|spokesperson for education and childcare]], [[Kirsty Williams]] as [[Minister for Health and Social Services|spokesperson for health and social services]], [[Peter Black (Welsh politician)|Peter Black]] as [[Minister for Local Government (Wales)|spokesperson for environment, local government and planning]], and [[Mick Bates (Welsh politician)|Mick Bates]] as [[Deputy Minister for Climate Change|spokesperson for agriculture and rural economy]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=13 May 1999 |title=How the opposition cabinets line up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/924200265 |access-date=3 June 2024 |work=South Wales Echo}}</ref>
On the formation of his frontbench team, German criticised Alun Michael's decision to appoint two education secretaries to his cabinet, stating that the division of responsibility for pre-16 and post-16 education policy between two different ministerial posts was "ridiculous", and that instead "we should be looking to provide education and training from cradle to work to retirement".<ref name=":0" /> From October to February 2000, Michael's administration faced a [[political crisis]] which resulted in his resignation after the opposition parties, including the Liberal Democrats, worked together to pass a [[motion of no confidence]] in his premiership. [[Rhodri Morgan]] was [[2000 Welsh Labour leadership election|elected]] unopposed to succeed him as Labour leader and he was nominated by the assembly as the new first secretary shortly afterwards.<ref name=":16">{{Cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=Alys |last2=Laffin |first2=Martin |date=January 2001 |title=The First Welsh Constitutional Crisis: The Alun Michael Resignation |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/095207670101600102 |journal=Public Policy and Administration |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=18–31 |doi=10.1177/095207670101600102 |issn=0952-0767 |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>
In the months that followed Morgan's ascension to the premiership, German engaged in negotiations with him to form a [[Lib-Lab coalition|coalition]] between Labour and the Liberal Democrats. After the coalition was approved by their respective parties, a new coalition government between the parties was formed on 16 October 2000, with German becoming the first [[Deputy First Minister of Wales|deputy first minister of Wales]] under Morgan, whose office was renamed to first minister. The Liberal Democrats left opposition and remained in government until May 2003, when Morgan ended the coalition after his party made gains in the [[2003 National Assembly for Wales election]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=8 May 2003 |title=Labour's assembly cabinet named |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/3009095.stm |access-date=3 June 2024 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=7 May 2003 |title=Morgan pledges to govern alone |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/3007665.stm |access-date=3 June 2024 |work=BBC News}}</ref> The Liberal Democrats returned to opposition with German forming a [[Second Frontbench Team of Mike German|second frontbench team]] as Morgan formed his [[Second Morgan government|new cabinet]] in May.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Osmond |first=John |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/sites/constitution-unit/files/wales_june_2003.pdf |title=Welsh Labour Takes Control |date=June 2003 |publisher=The Leverhume Trust, Institute of Welsh Affairs |others=In association with Strategy Wales |isbn=978-1-8717-2696-1 |series=Nations and Regions: The Dynamics of Devolution: Monitoring the National Assembly for Wales, March to June 2003 |pages=19–20 |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>
==Members== {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="1" |Portfolio ! colspan="3" |Spokesperson ! colspan="1" |Constituency ! colspan="1" |Term |- |[[Welsh Liberal Democrats|Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Group]] | rowspan="2" style="background: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}; width: 1px" | | rowspan="2" |[[File:Official portrait of Michael German AM.jpg|100px]] | rowspan="2" | [[Mike German]] AM | rowspan="2" | [[South Wales East (Senedd electoral region)|South Wales East]] |May 1999–December 2008 |- |[[Minister for the Economy (Wales)|Spokesperson for Economic Development and European Affairs]] |May 1999–October 2000 |- |[[Chief Whip|Welsh Liberal Democrat Group Chief Whip]]<br>[[Minister for Education (Wales)|Spokesperson for Education and Childcare]] ! style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}; width: 1px" | |[[File:Official portrait of Jenny Randerson AM.jpg|alt=|100px]] | [[Jenny Randerson, Baroness Randerson|Jenny Randerson]] AM | [[Cardiff Central (Senedd constituency)|Cardiff Central]] |May 1999–October 2000 |- |[[Minister for Education (Wales)|Spokesperson for Education and Training]] ! style= "background: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}; width: 1px" | | [[File:Official portrait of Baroness Humphreys crop 2.jpg|100px]] | [[Christine Humphreys]] AM |[[North Wales]] |May 1999–October 2000 |- |[[Minister for Health and Social Services|Spokesperson for Health and Social Services]] ! style= "background: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}; width: 1px" | | [[File:Official portrait of Kirsty Williams AM.jpg|100px]] | [[Kirsty Williams]] AM |[[Brecon and Radnorshire (Senedd constituency)|Brecon and Radnorshire]] |May 1999–October 2000 |- |[[Minister for Local Government (Wales)|Spokesperson for Environment, Local Government and Planning]] ! style= "background: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}; width: 1px" | | [[File:Official portrait of Peter Black AM.jpg|100px]] | [[Peter Black (Welsh politician)|Peter Black]] AM |[[South Wales West (Senedd electoral region)|South Wales West]] |May 1999–October 2000 |- |[[Deputy Minister for Climate Change|Spokesperson for Agriculture and Rural Economy]] ! style= "background: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}; width: 1px" | | [[File:Official portrait of Mick Bates AM.jpg|100px]] | [[Mick Bates (Welsh politician)|Mick Bates]] AM |[[Montgomeryshire (Senedd constituency)|Montgomeryshire]] |May 1999–October 2000 |- |}
== See also ==
* [[Michael administration]] * [[Interim Morgan administration]] * [[Shadow Cabinet of Dafydd Wigley]] * [[Shadow Cabinet of Ieuan Wyn Jones]] * [[Frontbench Team of Rod Richards]]
== Notes and references == === Notes === {{Notelist}} === References === {{Reflist}} {{Welsh Liberal Democrats}}
[[Category:Cabinets established in 1999]] [[Category:1999 establishments in Wales]] [[Category:Cabinets disestablished in 2000]] [[Category:2000 disestablishments in Wales]] [[Category:British shadow cabinets]] [[Category:Politics of Wales]]