Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford resigns

Mark Drakeford has announced he will stand down as Welsh Labour leader in March, to be followed by a leadership contest for a new first minister.

A new party leader in Wales will be elected before Easter, Mr Drakeford said in a statement.

He will remain as first minister until his successor is picked by his party.

Mr Drakeford, 69, who is the Cardiff West Member of the Senedd (MS), was confirmed as first minister exactly five years and one day ago.

He had planned to stand down in 2024 but the timing of his announcement was a surprise.

It comes a week before the Welsh government announces its spending plans for the next year, which ministers have warned will be “extremely difficult”.

Speaking at a hastily arranged press conference in the Welsh Parliament, Mr Drakeford said: “When I stood for the leadership I said that, if elected, I would serve for five years. Exactly five years have passed since I was confirmed as first minister in 2018.”

He said it had been a “huge privilege to lead both the Welsh Labour Party and the Welsh government”.

Mr Drakeford received both plaudits and criticism for his handling of the Covid pandemic, where his approach contrasted with that of Boris Johnson’s Conservative UK government. He led Labour to success in the 2021 Senedd election.

Other policies such as a default 20mph speed limit in Wales, cancellation of major new road-building schemes, and failure to support calls for a Wales-only Covid inquiry, proved more controversial.

His wife Clare died earlier this year, leading to increased speculation that he may decide to retire.

He was previously a special adviser to one of his predecessors as first minister, the late Rhodri Morgan. Mr Drakeford succeeded Mr Morgan as MS for Cardiff West in 2011.

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething and Education Minister Jeremy Miles are seen as two likely front-runners to take over.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid tribute to Mr Drakeford in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

“I know everyone will want to join me in wishing Mark Drakeford all the best as he moves on from his many, many years of devoted public service,” he said.

UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mark Drakeford was a “true titan” of Welsh and Labour politics.

“Mark has set a clear standard for public service in UK politics, always putting others before himself,” he said.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said Mark Drakeford’s announcement marked “the end of a political era in Wales”.

“I don’t think anyone was expecting this,” he told BBC Wales.

Carwyn Jones, Mr Drakeford’s predecessor as first minister, said he believed the party leader had “made up his mind long in advance” and suggested the first minister wanted to avoid a campaign running at the same time as a Westminster election.

He told Radio Cymru’s Dros Ginio programme: “If he went too far into the new year there would be a risk that a Labour leadership competition would run at the same time as an election campaign and nobody would want to see that. I’m sure that’s on his mind.”

Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies also wished Mr Drakeford well.

“While we may have different visions for Wales, I know I’m joined by colleagues in holding a huge amount of respect for his dedication to the job of first minister,” he said.

Labour’s Shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said: “Mark Drakeford has epitomised public service and public duty throughout his time as first minister of Wales.”

In his resignation statement, Mr Drakeford declined to reflect much on his time in office.

“There will be plenty of time for political obituaries and retrospection once I cease to be first minister. But not before,” he said.

He said he had the “enormous fortune to have played a part in Welsh politics during the first quarter century of devolution”.

“None of that would have been possible without the consistent support and enormous hard work of my talented cabinet colleagues and successive Labour groups,” he said.

“Now it is time to look forward to the next five years across the UK and to the next 25 years of devolution in Wales.”

He spelled out that he will remain “fully focused” on the coming budget and the upcoming Wales hearings of the Covid inquiry.

Mr Drakeford’s announcement sparks a leadership contest for the leadership of Welsh Labour.

Only Labour MSs will be able to take part – but there are two clear frontrunners with leadership campaigns ready to go.

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has represented Cardiff South and Penarth since 2011 and has served in government since 2013.

He was the health minister during the pandemic and came second in the last leadership race in 2018.

Education Minister Jeremy Miles was first elected in 2016. He has previously served as counsel general and Brexit minister.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan’s name is always mentioned in any discussion about the next first minister. She also stood to be leader in 2018.

Other potential candidates include Climate Change Minister Julie James and Deputy Minister for Social Partnership Hannah Blythyn.

Exactly how the process will work is yet to be ironed out.

The party’s ruling Welsh Executive Committee will meet on Wednesday evening to start the process.

Candidates will likely need a combination of nominations from Labour Senedd members, local Labour groups and affiliate organisations.

Both Mr Miles and Mr Gething paid tribute to Mr Drakeford.

Mr Miles said: “As we consider what comes next, I hope we will resolve to build on Mark’s legacy”.

Mr Gething said Mr Drakeford “still has a huge role to play in Welsh public life”.

The Senedd’s presiding officer said it was “business as usual” on Wednesday – the last day of debates in the parliament before the end of the Christmas term.

“We had a first minister answering first minister’s questions yesterday and we will have the same first minister answering questions when we reconvene in in January,” she said.

“For now then let us thank Mark for his leadership of Welsh government thus far, and that we await with interest his final months of activity in office in the new year”.

BBC Wales Today will have an hour special on the first minister’s announcement at 18:30 GMT on BBC One Wales.