Lauren Jones
Things came to a head in the Senedd when Wales’ First Minister and Labour Party Leader Mark Drakeford lost his temper with Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group Andrew RT Davies. Emotionally charged scenes saw Drakeford furious over ambulance delays, budget cuts and the state of the NHS in Wales.
First Minister and Wales’ Labour Party Leader Mark Drakeford lost his temper in response to Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group Andrew RT Davies’ comments on ambulances failing to turn up to critical incidences or taking as long as five hours to arrive, as was the case with injured footballer Ben Symons. Davies asked if Drakeford agreed that “the system is broken”, which prompted an emotional response.
Drakeford initially agreed that “the Welsh ambulance service is under enormous pressure”, before criticising the Conservative Party for implementing budget cuts, which Drakeford claimed were responsible for the state of the Welsh ambulance service. Davies pushed further, reading quotes that the Welsh healthcare system was comparable to that of “a third-world country” and that Aneurin Bevan, the Labour Minister who oversaw the creation of the NHS, would be “turning in his grave”.
These comments pushed Drakeford to blame the Conservative Party for the budget cuts and the state of the Welsh healthcare system. Drakeford shouted that the “mess” the Conservative Party had created was “shocking”, before accusing Davies of trying to “claim some moral high ground” by raising the issue of ambulance response times and delays in the First Minister’s Question Time. Presiding Officer of the Senedd, Elin Jones, ended the exchange by calling for the Senedd to calm down.
Many have defended Drakeford’s outburst, arguing that his response is well justified by the current state of healthcare and public services in Wales.
Drakeford has received support from SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon on Twitter, with Sturgeon fully supporting him “in his anger and frustration at Tories who take a sledge hammer to the economy and public services, and then try to pretend that the consequences have nothing to do with them.”
100% with @MarkDrakeford @PrifWeinidog in his anger and frustration at Tories who take a sledge hammer to the economy and public services, and then try to pretend that the consequences have nothing to do with them. They do just the same in 🏴 https://t.co/ZpQ0pLua2G
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 18, 2022
As well as long ambulance waiting times, other challenges that NHS Wales faces include waiting times for hospital treatment and knock-on effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While this disagreement between the Welsh First Minister and the Leader of the Welsh Conservatives has brought some attention to the Senedd, it doesn’t resolve the issues that NHS Wales faces. Jeremy Hunt’s proposed budget cuts will reduce the spending power of the Welsh government, while the reversal of Boris Johnson’s 1.25 per cent rise to national insurance means that extra support for the NHS and social care is no longer funded.
The Welsh government face an enormous challenge in trying to fund and improve NHS Wales services. While Drakeford’s outburst may have demonstrated solidarity with the frustration of the Welsh people, it will be his practical actions as First Minister that are decisive for the future of NHS Wales.
Featured image courtesy of Jonny Gios on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Lauren Jones
Lauren is an Au Pair and a recent languages graduate. She is an aspiring journalist and is particularly interested in politics, social issues, and the arts.