Mark Drakeford was accused of failing to deliver on his legislative agenda despite entering the twilight of his time as First Minister of Wales.
In FMQs, Welsh Conservative Leader of the Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS asked Drakeford why, with a year and a half before his self-declared exit from frontline politics, long promised new laws are being left in a state of drift.
Drakeford is nowhere close to legislating for the Clean Air Act he promised he would back when he ran for Welsh Labour leader in 2018. Since, his Labour Government have voted against motions by the Welsh Conservatives to bring forward the law.
Public Health Wales has described outdoor air pollution as the greatest environmental risk to health, estimating that up to 1,400 premature deaths per year in Wales can be attributed to exposure of air pollution.
Davies also highlighted the huge delay in the introduction of the Agriculture Bill. The Rural Affairs Minister had told a Senedd Committee this would happen around last Christmas, but is now not expected until Autumn 2022 at the earliest.
This is despite the urgent need to focus on food security given the war in Ukraine disrupting global food markets, increasing the price of food and by-products like fertiliser at a time of high inflation.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS said:
“The clock is ticking on Drakeford’s time in office but he and his Labour Government are clearly not delivering on promises they made to the people of Wales.
“It is not good enough for the First Minister to make promises he makes no efforts to keep, all the while people are dying unnecessarily because of air pollution and the agricultural sector is left in an impossibly precarious position because of Labour incompetence.
“Mark Drakeford said he’d be gone from office after five years. With about a year and a half to go, his legacy is a disastrous handling of the Covid pandemic, blocking an inquiry into it, failing to improve education and the economy, and no major legislative achievements.
“If he wants to remembered for something other than this, then he better get a move on and deliver for Wales on what he has for far too long neglected.”
