First Minister Mark Drakeford has accused Boris Johnson of managing the pandemic for headlines to distract from his problems.
He said the UK Government has "long since abandoned" the science on Covid-19 figures when setting regulations.
An embattled Mr Johnson announced earlier this week the easing of Covid restrictions brought in before Christmas for England known as Plan B.
Working from home rules ended from Wednesday and it will no longer be legally required to wear masks anywhere from Thursday next week in England. And then, when Plan B measures lapse, Covid passes will also no longer be legally required for nightclubs and major events.
In Wales Mr Drakeford announced that the country is on track to revert to alert level zero by Friday, January 28, but Covid passes will remain and rules on face masks, including in schools, will remain. He'll provide a full briefing on Friday which you can follow live here.
Speaking on Friday morning about the different rules he criticised the Prime Minister, telling BBC Breakfast: "We have always taken a different approach in Wales. We are a Government that doesn't need to grab headlines to distract the attention from the difficulties that we would be in if we were in the same position at the Government in England. I don't think there's any doubt at all the UK Government has long abandoned any sense that it is following the science.
"It is a government desperately mired in difficulties of its own making and is forever on the lookout for a headline that will distract people's attention from the awful mess that it finds itself in."
When asked if he believed the differences between restrictions in the two countries would cause problems for the people of Wales he replied: "People have had to manage those differences right through the pandemic."
Mr Drakeford continued: "My job and the job of my cabinet is to take the medical and scientific advice we have to make the decisions that we think go on keeping Wales safe."
He told BBC Radio Wales: "I don't think anyone watching objectively what has happened in England could imagine that their decisions have been made by a careful attention to public health advice and with some sort of long-term plan in place.
"Their announcements this week are entirely due to the astonishing mess that they find themselves in and an effort to find some other line to distract people's attention from the Prime Minister's failings.
"Here in Wales we are in a very different position. We have got a government that is capable of making decisions in line with that advice and to do the things that we have done throughout the pandemic – following the science and making sure we are keeping people in Wales safe."
It comes as the Conservative Party has been embroiled in more infighting as reports suggest rebel Tory MPs are considering publishing a secret recording and text messages linked to allegations of "blackmail" from the Prime Minister's supporters.
Mr Johnson insisted on Thursday he had "seen no evidence" to support the claim made by senior Conservative William Wragg that his critics were facing "intimidation" as part of an effort to prevent him being ousted from office.
Sue Gray, the senior official leading an inquiry into claims of rule-busting gatherings across the UK Government, is said to have found an email warning Mr Johnson's principal private secretary Martin Reynolds against holding a drinks party in the No 10 garden during the first lockdown.
The email, sent by a senior official, told Mr Reynolds that the gathering "should be cancelled because it broke the rules", according to ITV News.
Mr Johnson has admitted attending the gathering in question for 25 minutes on May 20, 2020, but insisted he believed it was a work event and said he was not warned it would be against the rules.
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