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Mark Drakeford resigns – his full statement word for word

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Mark Drakeford has announced today he will stand down as Welsh Labour leader immediately and a leadership contest for a new first minister will be held.

A new party leader will be elected before Easter, Mr Drakeford said

The Herald can confirm that he will remain as first minister until his successor is picked by his party.

Here is today’s statement from Mark Drakeford in full:

I have today formally notified the chair of the Welsh Executive Committee of my intention to stand down as Leader of Welsh Labour in March 2024.

When I stood for the leadership, I said that, if elected, I would serve for five years.

Exactly five years have passed since I was confirmed as First Minister in 2018.

Nominations for my successor as Welsh Labour Leader will open shortly.

The process will be concluded by the end of the Spring term, to enable the name of the winner to be put to the Senedd before the Easter recess.

In the meantime, I remain your First Minister.

  • We have a busy few months ahead of us – full of major events and challenges, which I will be fully focused on:
  • A child poverty strategy
  • The final report of the independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales
  • The future of steel-making in Wales
  • The conclusion of consultations about making council tax fairer and the reform of the school year
  • Module 2B of the Covid-19 UK Inquiry
  • Co-operation Agreement commitments to deliver
  • And a Budget to pass.

There will be plenty of time for political obituaries and retrospection once I cease to be First Minister.

But not before.

In a five-year period, which has seen Wales deal with austerity, Brexit, the covid pandemic, the climate crisis, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and four different Prime Ministers – so far – there will be lots to reflect on.

For now, I will continue to deliver on the promises we made to people across Wales.

The next Welsh Labour Leader and First Minister will, I hope, have the opportunity, which has not come my way, to work with a newly-elected Labour Government in London.

I will work as hard as I can to see that Labour Government elected.

It has been a huge privilege to lead both the Welsh Labour party and the Welsh Government.

I have also had the enormous fortune to have played a part in Welsh politics during the first quarter century of devolution.

None of that would have been possible without the consistent support and enormous hard work of my talented Cabinet colleagues and successive Labour groups.

Now it is time to look forward to the next five years across the UK and to the next 25 years of devolution in Wales.

That journey begins today.”

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

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A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

  • Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
  • Common assault
  • Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

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Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

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Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

  • Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
  • A second count of assault
  • Criminal damage
  • An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
  • A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

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Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

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Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

  • Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
  • Intentional non-fatal strangulation
  • Common assault on a woman
  • Criminal damage in a domestic context
  • Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
  • Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.

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