Mark Drakeford has officially resigned as the first minister of Wales after serving in the position for five years. He submitted his resignation to the King following a final round of questioning from opposition leaders. Drakeford led the Welsh government throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and was responsible for the country’s lockdown rules during that time. His successor, Vaughan Gething, will assume the role on Wednesday.
Gething made history during the Welsh Labour leadership contest by becoming the first black leader of a nation in Europe. He defeated Jeremy Miles to win the position. Drakeford was born in Carmarthen in 1954 and has held positions such as a probation officer, university lecturer, and professor of social policy. He advised the late Rhodri Morgan when he was the First Minister in the 2000s, and won his Cardiff West seat after Morgan resigned the constituency.
Drakeford took over as first minister in 2018, and became more prominent after the UK government handed lockdown powers to the Welsh government due to COVID-19. During the pandemic, the Welsh government adopted an increasingly independent approach. In 2021, Drakeford’s party emerged victorious in the Senedd election that year.
In the past year, the Welsh government has faced rising costs, leading to cuts in public services to support its National Health Service and railway services. Drakeford has been criticised for his government’s decision to implement a default 20 mph speed limit, and his ministers have begun the process of expanding the number of politicians in the Senedd from 60 to 96.
Drakeford will participate in his final first minister’s questions in the Welsh Parliament before tendering his resignation to the King, a process which is expected to occur following the Senedd’s confirmation of Gething’s replacement. If opposition parties make their own nominations, the Welsh Parliament will conduct a roll call vote with each Member of the Senedd declaring their support. However, this should not prevent Gething from being confirmed, as the government currently holds a slight majority. Drakeford will continue as Cardiff West MS until the next election, after which he has stated he will step down
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