Drakeford ‘disappointed by spasmodic contact’ with Westminster
FIRST Minister Mark Drakeford has issued a warning to Boris Johnson and the UK Government over an alleged lack of communication over lifting lockdown.
Having said last week that the relationship between the UK and Welsh Governments was working in “fits and starts”, Mr Drakeford said yesterday: “This week has been one of the stops in the stop-start process. Last week in the run-up to the announcements [on lockdown changes] we had good meetings on four out of five days. But now a whole week has gone by without any meeting of that sort.
“One out of three weeks has now gone by without any contact of that sort. We don’t want to see a sudden splurge of contact in the days before a decision has got to be made.”
Mr Drakeford said he was “disappointed” with what had happened as the situation becomes “more complicated and challenging as we come out of lockdown”.
At the Welsh Government’s daily briefing, he said more conversations were needed between governments to aid his preferred four-nation approach.
He said the current approach was “ad hoc” with parties “called together at very short notice, often to discuss things of very great importance”.
The First Minister said communication between Wales and the other devolved nations of Scotland and Northern Ireland had been much better than that with Westminster.
He said: “Our discussions with other devolved administrations are almost always more continuous than they are with the UK Government because we have a whole series of responsibilities that we discharge and that we learn from one another.
“When we had the last Cobra meeting I felt there was a commitment there to have these discussions on a more regular and predictable basis.
“I immediately followed that up by communicating with the UK Government, hoping to see that in place this week.
“It is a disappointment to me that that rhythm has not been established. The reason I am disappointed is simply because I am committed to a four-nation approach.
“Getting a four-nation approach becomes more complicated and challenging as we move out of lockdown. Therefore you need more conversations, more opportunities to share information, share perspectives, share ideas and hammer out a common way ahead.
“Without the opportunities to have those conversations, I think that becomes more difficult.”
Mr Drakeford said he had asked the UK Government to renew contact as the next lockdown extension deadline approached.
He said: “I remain hopeful that we will have those conversations starting next week while there are still two weeks of this three-week period available to us and that we don’t try and do it just as the deadline approaches, when all the pressure of having to make decisions weighs on us all, and that orderly way of making decisions that are common between us, I think just becomes more difficult.”
The UK Government said there had been meetings this week between UK Government and Welsh Government officials.
Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said: “Throughout the coronavirus crisis, the UK and Welsh Governments
have worked closely together every step of the way.
“I am glad that this announcement [on Wales’ lockdown exit roadmap] brings that alignment even closer, providing more certainty for jobs and businesses across Wales.
“The approach being taken by the Welsh Government in its roadmap will allow us to continue with a UKwide response to the emergency at the same time as taking a flexible approach according to the data in different parts of the UK.
“The UK Government is providing the devolved governments with testing, funding, and logistical support from our armed forces. No one part of the UK could face this pandemic alone and the UK Government has provided unprecedented support to every part of the UK.
“There are far more similarities than differences in the approaches of the nations of the UK.
“We entered this fight as a United Kingdom and we will come out of it equally united.”