London, Jul 16 (IANS): Vaughan Gething announced on Tuesday that he is quitting as first minister of Wales.

"I have this morning taken the difficult decision to begin the process of stepping down as leader of the Welsh Labour Party and, as a result, First Minister," Gething said in a statement.

"Having been elected as leader of my party in March, I had hoped that over the summer a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal could take place under my leadership. I recognise now that this is not possible," he said, according to Xinhua news agency.

Gething has been under mounting pressure over a controversial donation to his leadership campaign. However, he denied wrongdoing and said in his statement that he has never compromised his integrity.

His resignation came after several ministers quit the Welsh government on Tuesday, calling Gething to stand down.

Gething was elected to succeed Mark Drakeford as leader of Welsh Labour in March. Last month, he lost a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Senedd, the Welsh parliament.