Mark Drakeford, the former First Minister of Wales for Labour, resigned last week following a series of divisive policies that infuriated people throughout Wales.
He gained notoriety for enforcing 20 mph speed limits throughout the Principality, blocking supermarket aisles during COVID-19 to prevent people from purchasing items they want, prohibiting the construction of new roads in the name of climate change, and leading to the worst NHS and education results in the entire UK.
Sir Keir Starmer has expressed concern, stating that Wales under Drakeford “is the model” that a Labour government in the UK would adhere to.
However, Conservative Welsh Secretary David T.C. Davies said that while Drakeford’s departure was “a welcome relief for wales and its people” things “are about to get 100 times worse” with his replacement.
It comes as Express.co.uk was handed a dossier on the three top candidates to replace Drakeford – Vaughan Gething and Jeremy Miles.
While Gething has the most backing of elected representatives in Welsh Labour, Miles (like Drakeford) was a supporter of disgraced former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and could win on the popular and trade union vote.
Vaughan Gething
The dossier on Gething, 49, mostly takes aim at his record as Minister for the Economy and earlier role as Health Minister.
- It blames him for Welsh economic stagnation as England has grown.
- Employment rate is lower in Wales than in the UK.
- Because of his socialist policies Wales only has just one FTSE100 company – insurance company Admiral.
- Welsh business pay the highest levels of business rates in the UK.
- The dossier also notes that he was Health Minister during COVID-19 in Wales – but did not even bother reading a report into a pandemic simulation that he took part in prior to the pandemic, according to BBC Wales.
- Wales is the only part of the UK not to have a Covid inquiry into its handling of the pandemic.
Jeremy Miles
The dossier on Jeremy Miles largely takes him to task for his role as Education Minister and Welsh Language Minister.
- It points out that he presided over Wales finishing bottom of all the UK Nations in the 2023 PISA rankings in all three subjects (maths, science, reading). England had the best.
- The percentage of secondary school pupils who were persistently absent has tripled to 16.3 percent from 2018-19 – the last full academic year before Covid – and 2022-23.
- Attainment gap between children on free school meals and non-free school meals has increased.
- He is seen as a champion of extreme woke policies with a new relationships and sex education (RSE) code – teaching children as young as 11 about sexual relationships.
Eluned Morgan
Health Minister Eluned Morgan was seen as an outside chance in this contest but has ruled herself out. Nevertheless she was included in the dossier as a key member of Drakeford’s regime and a potential senior figure in the next administration, possibly Deputy First Minister.
- Almost 600,000 people on a waiting list in Wales (November 2023). Around 1 in 4 in Wales compared to 1 in 10 in England.
- 133,000 people waiting for NHS treatment in a year.
- Over 26,000 waiting over two years for treatment, compared to 227 people in England.
- Only including consultant-led specialisms which shows 19.6 percent of patient pathways in Wales were over a year, compared to only 5 percent in England.
- The 95 percent target for patients spending less than four hours in A&E has never been met.
- Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in North Wales has been put in special measures.
Conservative Welsh Secretary believes that Drakeford’s tenure as First Minister of Wales could look good in comparison to what is coming with his replacement.
He said: “Mark Drakeford’s resignation has been a welcome relief to people across Wales. But if you thought life in Wales would soon become better, you need to think again.
“All those who are set to replace the outgoing First Minister were joined to him at the hip and subsequently chose not to stand up to his reckless policies, including axing all new roads from being built ever again, imposing the 20mph blanket rollout – and, the worst of all, was instructing health boards to make over £60 million in cuts to then waste over £100 million to create more politicians.
“Things are about to become 100 times worse in Wales, not better.”