Instead of seeking a candidate from the list of Welsh Assembly candidates Labour has already chosen, party chiefs have decided to go back to the drawing board and re-open the selection process for a fortnight.

BBC Wales Correspondent Wyre Davis: How will the leader of the new Welsh Assembly be elected?

The move clears the path for new Welsh Secretary Alun Michael to become the party's candidate for post of first secretary of the assembly - should he be persuaded to make the career switch from Westminster to Cardiff.

Party chiefs held a two-hour emergency meeting in the Welsh capital on Monday to discuss how to replace Mr Davies.

They have decided to set up a special "task force" to consider and recommend one of four options for how the new leader would be chosen "as a matter of urgency".

'Made in Wales' pledge

Islwyn MP Don Touhig, an executive member and now head of the new task force, said: "We are in uncharted waters. But it is a matter for the Wales Labour Party to resolve this matter and at the end of the day the solution will be 'made in Wales', not by anyone else."

The four options for choosing Labour's new Welsh leader to be considered include a one-member, one-vote ballot of the 25,000 party members in Wales.

Other possibilities include a special conference made up MPs, constituency parties and trade unions to hold a vote.

The last two choices either involve putting off the election of a leader until next May, when Labour's assembly members themselves will make a choice, or leaving the whole matter to the Wales Labour executive committee.

Mr Touhig insisted no potential leadership contenders were discussed during Monday's emergency meeting.

Mr Michael is, as Welsh Secretary, an ex-officio member of the executive and addressed the private session. But he refused to comment afterwards on whether he would be throwing his hat into the ring.

Mr Touhig said it was hoped that an interim report from the task force would be put before the Welsh executive's next meeting on 9 November.

Re-opening the list of leadership candidates would, he said, "unite the party and give Labour the best candidate possible to lead Labour in the national assembly.

"We think the current candidates are excellent, but we have to take account that perhaps a number of people did not enter originally because they supported Ron and did not think there would be another contest.

"Now the circumstances have changed."