The first Drakeford government was a
Labour-led government formed after the resignation of
Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Howell Jones, Baron Jones of Penybont, (born 21 March 1967), is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. He previously served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 20 ...
as
First Minister of Wales
The first minister of Wales () is the leader of the Welsh Government and keeper of the Welsh Seal. The first minister chairs the Welsh Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Welsh Government po ...
on 12 December 2018, and the subsequent appointment of
Mark Drakeford
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 L ...
in his place following a
leadership contest. The government was also supported by the sole
Welsh Liberal Democrat MS
Kirsty Williams and the independent MS
Dafydd Elis-Thomas
Dafydd Elis Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas, (; 18 October 1946 – 7 February 2025) was a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from 1984 to 1991 and represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the Senedd from 199 ...
. Drakeford's first term as First Minister is known for his handling of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
Between May 2016 and December 2018 the senior tier of ministers were referred to as Cabinet Secretaries and the junior tier as Ministers, from the formation of this government they reverted to their previous titles of Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers respectively.
Following the
2021 Senedd election
The 2021 Senedd election took place on Thursday 6 May 2021 to elect 60 members to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). It was the sixth Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved general election since the Senedd (formerly the National Assembly for ...
, Labour was
re-elected to a sixth term with Mark Drakeford continuing as First Minister.
Appointment
Cabinet
Deputy ministers
See also
*
Shadow Cabinet (Wales)
In Wales, a shadow cabinet () is formed from members of the official opposition in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ), the largest party not part of the Welsh Government, to scrutinise ministers in the Welsh Cabinet. It is led by the Leader of the O ...
*
Members of the 5th Senedd
*
2018 Welsh Labour leadership election
*
2021 Senedd election
The 2021 Senedd election took place on Thursday 6 May 2021 to elect 60 members to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). It was the sixth Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved general election since the Senedd (formerly the National Assembly for ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Drakeford government
Drakeford, first
Welsh governments
Coalition governments of the United Kingdom
2018 establishments in Wales
Cabinets established in 2018