The former First Minister has been criticised in the report about the UK’s response to Covid-19
16:45, 20 Nov 2025Updated 16:49, 20 Nov 2025
Mark Drakeford has been criticised over a trip to Brussels during the Covid-19 pandemic(Image: Getty Images)
Mark Drakeford has been criticised in a major report about the way the UK’s governments responded to Covid-19. The former First Minister was absent at the first meeting of his cabinet where Covid was made a priority in the spring of 2020, something that has led to him being called out by the inquiry’s chair.
Baroness Hallett has today published the latest report from the ongoing Covid-19 inquiry, focusing on the responses of all governments – the UK, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Executive.
Looking at how the pandemic was dealt with in the early days, the report found the devolved administrations “failed to escalate consideration of the emerging crisis to their highest levels of government with sufficient speed.” For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
The Welsh Government cabinet didn’t discuss Covid at all in January 2020, the report says, despite a warning from Frank Atherton, the chief medical officer.
It was first discussed on February 25, 2020.
The report says there was “an absence of any real strategy pursued by the Welsh Government in January and February 2020”.
“Instead, in Wales, the Cabinet focus was primarily on arrangements for the UK’s exit from the EU, budget concerns and adverse weather, with no Covid-19 cases reported in Wales. Mr Drakeford told the Inquiry that “at that point it is happening elsewhere.
“However, given the warning sounded by Dr Atherton on 24 January 2020 and the clear signs of the virus’s growing threat, the Welsh Government should have recognised the potential danger in late January 2020,” the report says.
The report says it not being the highest priority at that point was “understandable…insufficient attention” was paid.
Mark Drakeford told the inquiry it was on March 4, 2020, that Covid-19 became the single most important matter on his government’s to do list.
However, he was then not at the cabinet meeting on that date, having travelled to Brussels as part of St David’s Day celebrations.
“Covid-19 received no attention in Welsh Cabinet meetings before 25 February 2020. After the first case was identified in Wales on 28 February, the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford MS, chose to attend St David’s Day celebrations in Brussels rather than the Welsh Cabinet meeting on 4 March 2020.
“It should have been equally apparent to the First Ministers and deputy First Ministers of the devolved administrations that, by this point, Covid-19 was the most pressing issue facing their governments,” the report says.
Elsewhere in the report, she categorises Mr Drakeford as a “careful and considered leader”.
The report compares the structures that each government operated under to make decisions.
For example, the UK Government “sidelined” its cabinet and used the COBR committee. The Scottish Government had a small group of ministers she relied on, excluding others, but the Welsh cabinet was “fully engaged throughout the pandemic”.
“By contrast, the Welsh Cabinet was fully engaged throughout the pandemic, with decisions mostly being made through consensus. Mr Drakeford was recognised by his ministers as a careful and considered leader. He maintained positive relationships throughout the response,” the report reads.
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