{"id":366,"date":"2023-01-28T18:49:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-28T18:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/clare-drakeford-wife-of-wales-fm-mark-drakeford-dies-suddenly\/"},"modified":"2023-01-28T18:49:20","modified_gmt":"2023-01-28T18:49:20","slug":"clare-drakeford-wife-of-wales-fm-mark-drakeford-dies-suddenly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/clare-drakeford-wife-of-wales-fm-mark-drakeford-dies-suddenly\/","title":{"rendered":"Clare Drakeford: Wife of Wales’ FM Mark Drakeford dies suddenly"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clare Drakeford: Wife of Wales’ FM Mark Drakeford dies suddenly<\/p>\n

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Clare Drakeford, the wife of Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford, has died suddenly, the Welsh government has said.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A spokesman confirmed the news with “deep sadness”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He added: “The thoughts of everyone in the Welsh government are with the family at this time and we ask that their privacy is respected.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Downing Street said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had passed on his “deepest condolences” to Mr Drakeford privately.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Sunak later wrote on social media: “Incredibly sad to hear about the sudden death of Clare Drakeford.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“I know how committed Mark and Clare were to each other. I can’t imagine the pain Mark and his family will now be feeling.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Incredibly sad to hear about the sudden death of Clare Drakeford. <\/p>\n

I know how committed Mark and Clare were to each other. I can\u2019t imagine the pain Mark and his family will now be feeling.<\/p>\n

My heartfelt condolences go out to them.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) January 28, 2023<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.<\/span>View original tweet on Twitter<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was “shocked and saddened” by the news.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“On behalf of the whole Labour Party, I send our deepest condolences to Mark and all the family,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“I know just how close they were as a couple, and I can only imagine the sense of loss Mark and the whole family are feeling.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I\u2019m deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Clare Drakeford.<\/p>\n

On behalf of the whole Labour Party, I send our deepest condolences to Mark and all the family. <\/p>\n

They are all in our thoughts and prayers.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 28, 2023<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.<\/span>View original tweet on Twitter<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mr Drakeford and his family have lived in Pontcanna, Cardiff, for 30 years. The couple have three adult children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“They are all in our thoughts and prayers,” Sir Keir added. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Prince and Princess of Wales wrote on Twitter: “Sending our thoughts and prayers to Mark Drakeford and his family.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sending our thoughts and prayers to Mark Drakeford and his family. W & C<\/p>\n

\u2014 The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 28, 2023<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.<\/span>View original tweet on Twitter<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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During the pandemic, it was revealed Mr Drakeford was living in a building in his garden to keep his family safe, saying his wife and mother-in-law were “vulnerable”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Drakeford said they were in the top four vaccination priority groups “due to their conditions”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In October 2020 he spoke of the “difficult days” of that year when his wife and mother fell ill with coronavirus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He revealed he was hesitant about running to be first minister when Carwyn Jones stepped down in 2018 because of the potential impact on his family.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Words of condolence have poured in from across the political spectrum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “My thoughts are with Mark and his family at this terribly sad time”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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When she and Mrs Drakeford met, she said it was “obvious how strong the bond between her and Mark was”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“I can only imagine the depth of grief he is feeling. Sending him love and strength,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, called the news “absolutely devastating”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He offered his “thoughts and prayers” during “this incredibly difficult time”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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