First Minister: I’ve not spoken to PM in nearly three weeks

FIRST Minister Mark Drakeford admitted he had not spoken to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in almost three weeks, as Wales edges towards its lockdown review this week.

During the Welsh Government’s coronavirus briefing yesterday, Mr Drakeford said he had not spoken to the PM since May 28.

Mr Drakeford was asked when he last spoke to the Prime Minister, and if Wales was being kept in the loop when it comes to decisions being made across the border, or was Wales essentially going it alone now.

The First Minister responded by saying: “I last spoke to the Prime Minister two weeks ago last Thursday, which is nearly three weeks ago, and I have had no discussion with any UK ministers offered in the weeks that have followed and as of today there is no invitation to speak to any UK minister during the rest of this week.”

He said that did not include the Secretary of State for Wales, with whom he had spoken, and it did not mean there was no ministerial contact at all as Health Minister Vaughan Gething had a weekly call with UK health ministers and those from the other devolved administrations.

But he said the “regular, reliable rhythm” of meetings he had sought remained “stop-start”, adding: “I’m afraid we have been in the stop part of that cycle for more than two weeks.”