The Dominic Cummings row has sharpened political divisions across the UK but perhaps nowhere as sharply as in Wales.
Cummings, who is Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief strategist, has caused a national furore for not only breaking lockdown rules but equally important for refusing to apologize for his actions.
Gething, who is a Labour party member of the Welsh National Assembly for Cardiff South and Penarth, claims that if he had ended up in a similar situation as Cummings he would have resigned, or failing that he would have been sacked.
Addressing the Welsh government press conference, Gething – who is of Zambian origin – claimed that what mattered to him most was “not so much the fate of Dominic Cummings and his job”.
"It's actually whether people across all four nations, including here in Wales, are going to continue to follow the rules to keep all of us safe", he health minister added.
Gething later expressed similar views in an interview with BBC Radio Wales Breakfast with Claire Summers.
The health minister’s clear-cut position drew a sharp response from leading Tories in Wales.
Robin Millar, the MP for Aberconwy, expressed solidarity with Johnson saying: “He [Boris Johnson] has made a decision [on Cummings] and I respect that and support him”.
In addition, Rob Roberts, the Tory MP for Delyn, made the following supportive statement: “I believe that he [Dominic Cummings] seemed to be entirely acting in the best interests of his child as a responsible husband and father”.I've posted a comment about the Prime Minister's advisor on my Facebook page.
and the economic mountain to climb that lies ahead of us. — Robin Millar (@RobinMillar8)
Right now my focus remains on the public health challenges we face here in
Whilst the inter-party polarization is predictably sharp in Wales, there is another political development which has mostly eluded the British media’s attention.
That is the possibility of intra-party splits on Cummings centered on the Welsh Tories.
Earlier today Tory MP for the Preseli Pembrokeshire constituency, Stephen Crabb, accused Cummings of behaving “arrogantly” when the allegations about the lockdown breach first surfaced.
But Crabb stopped short of accusing Cummings of breaching the lockdown, let alone calling on him to permanently resign his position.
"I would have preferred to see the Cabinet Secretary [Mark Sedwill] do a proper inquiry into the allegations and for Cummings to step aside to allow that to happen”, Crabb added.
The sharp Tory-Labour divide in Wales over Cummings, in addition to a potential intra-Tory split, is bad news for Johnson as it threatens to further erode his legitimacy as a national leader in Wales.