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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Will Hayward

Leader of Welsh Conservatives labels viral Mark Drakeford Senedd outburst a 'tantrum'

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives has responded to the furious response he received from Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford in the Senedd.

During a heated First Minister's Questions on October 18, Andrew RT Davies challenged the Welsh Government regarding its record on the Welsh NHS. Mark Drakeford's angry response subsequently went viral on social media. You can view the response in the video at the top of this article.

Given it was the last of the Tory leader's questions, he was not able to respond to the First Minister's outburst. WalesOnline has since approached Andrew RT Davies to get his reaction to the First Minister. You can get more politics news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

Read more: Welsh Government lawyer who wrote Covid laws found dead in woodland

Mr Davies labelled Mr Drakeford's reaction a "tantrum". He told WalesOnline: "It tells you everything that the First Minister would resort to self-righteous indignation when confronted with his Labour Government’s appalling record in managing the health service over the last 23 years.

“I put to Mark Drakeford a real case of a 79-year-old former miner from Merthyr Tydfil who was left lying on the floor waiting for an ambulance, unable to use the toilet, so he could hear the consequences of the extremely long ambulance delays in Wales. Rather than showing contrition for his record that has left Wales with the worst ambulance delays, A&E waits, and treatment waiting lists in Britain, he chose to distract from his record with a tantrum."

You can see the full written exchange between the pair here. Mr Davies also claimed cuts from Westminster to the Senedd budget mentioned by Mr Drakeford "did not happen". He added: "He should not cite budget cuts from Westminster because they did not happen – Wales got more money from the UK Government than it ever has before this year – and remember that in the Senedd, it is he and his ministers that are to be held accountable.

"Labour in Wales cannot be a party of protest and neglect its duties as a government. So, I will take no lectures from Mark Drakeford on the NHS when he is the one who voted to cut the health budget in Wales. That is the cost of Labour.”

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