Mark Drakeford | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language[a] | |
| Assumed office 11 September 2024 | |
| First Minister | Eluned Morgan |
| Preceded by | Rebecca Evans |
| In office 19 May 2016 – 13 December 2018 | |
| First Minister | Carwyn Jones |
| Preceded by | Jane Hutt |
| Succeeded by | Rebecca Evans |
| Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care[b] | |
| In office 6 August 2024 – 11 September 2024 | |
| First Minister | Eluned Morgan |
| Preceded by | Eluned Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Jeremy Miles |
| In office 14 March 2013 – 19 May 2016 | |
| First Minister | Carwyn Jones |
| Deputy | Vaughan Gething |
| Preceded by | Lesley Griffiths |
| Succeeded by | Vaughan Gething |
| First Minister of Wales | |
| In office 13 December 2018 – 20 March 2024 | |
| Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
| Preceded by | Carwyn Jones |
| Succeeded by | Vaughan Gething |
| Leader of Welsh Labour | |
| In office 6 December 2018 – 16 March 2024 | |
| Deputy | Carolyn Harris |
| UK party leader | Jeremy Corbyn Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Carwyn Jones |
| Succeeded by | Vaughan Gething |
| Minister for Brexit | |
| In office 3 November 2017 – 13 December 2018 | |
| First Minister | Carwyn Jones |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Jeremy Miles |
| Member of the Senedd for Cardiff West | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Rhodri Morgan |
| Majority | 11,211 (30.7%)[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 September 1954 Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, Wales |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Clare Buckle
(m. 1977; died 2023) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Kent University of Exeter |
| Cabinet | Second Drakeford government |
| Signature |  |
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Leader of Welsh Labour (2018–2024)
First Minister of Wales (2018–2024)
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Mark Drakeford (born 19 September 1954) is a Welsh politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance since September 2024, having previously held the position from 2016 to 2018. He previously served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2018 to 2024, and as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care from 2013 to 2016,[c] and on an interim basis in 2024. He was first elected as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Cardiff West in 2011 and is considered to be on the soft left of Labour.
Drakeford was born in Carmarthen in West Wales. He studied Latin at the University of Kent and the University of Exeter. He was a lecturer at the University College of Swansea from 1991 to 1995 and at Cardiff University from 1995 to 1999. He was a Professor of Social Policy and Applied Social Sciences at Cardiff University from 2003 to 2013. Drakeford was elected at the 2011 National Assembly for Wales election for Cardiff West. In 2013, First Minister Carwyn Jones appointed Drakeford to the Welsh Government as Minister for Health and Social Services. He served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance from 2016 to 2018 and as Minister for Brexit from 2017 to 2018. In 2018, he was elected to succeed Jones as Welsh Labour Leader and First Minister.
He led the Welsh Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2021 Senedd election, Drakeford led Welsh Labour to win 30 seats, a working majority, and was reappointed as First Minister. Drakeford resigned as Welsh Labour Leader and First Minister in March 2024 and was succeeded by his Health Minister Vaughan Gething. Drakeford spent the duration of Gething's premiership on the backbenches before making a return to government as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care under First Minister Eluned Morgan in August 2024.
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- ^ Lewis, Anna; Woodhead, Lauren (7 May 2021). "Mark Drakeford retains Cardiff West Senedd seat for Labour with overwhelming majority". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.