FM ‘flattered’ by calls to stay

FIRST Minister Mark Drakeford is “flattered” people want him to stay on as First Minister but maintained he does not plan to remain as Welsh Labour leader, or First Minister, for the whole of this term.

He has repeatedly said he will stand down as leader in this Senedd term and a new Labour leader should be in place well before the next planned election in 2026.

Mr Drakeford has batted off questions about when he will start the process of appointing his leader.

On Saturday, Welsh Labour members backed a proposal to reform the way the Senedd operates.

They backed increasing the numbers of MSs, different constituencies and gender quotas.

The proposal is now highly likely to pass the two-thirds majority needed in the Senedd as Plaid Cymru also approves of the changes, hoped to come into force by 2026.

After that there were calls for the First Minister to remain in post.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mr Drakeford said all the detailed work will be completed in this Senedd term.

“I am looking forward very much to getting stuck in with making sure this happens in as effective way as possible,” he said.

Asked to explicitly state whether he will rule out staying on as First Minister, he said he will not change his plans, first announced in 2018.

Mr Drakeford said he has answered questions about his future with “astonishing regularity” but that his plans, which he made clear during the leadership campaign, have not changed. He added: “It’s flattering of course when people think you should stay longer, all this will be accomplished in this Senedd term.

He added: “There are no changes to the plans I announced originally in 2018 when I stood for leader of the Labour party.”