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News

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

Tenby man charged after robbery incident

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A MAN is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court next month after being charged in connection with a late-night incident in Tenby town centre.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that no one was injured during the disturbance, which took place at a restaurant in Tudor Square on the evening of Sunday, March 30.

Mohammed Miah, aged 44, has been charged with robbery, possession of a bladed article in a public place, and criminal damage.

He appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court earlier this month, where he was remanded in custody ahead of his next hearing at Swansea Crown Court on Friday, May 2.

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Farming

Pembrokeshire Show elects first joint presidents

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DAIRY FARMERS TIM AND MARGARET JOHNS HONOURED BY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY

HAVERFORDWEST dairy farmers Tim and Margaret Johns have been unanimously elected as the first joint Presidents of the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society.

The couple, who farm at Pencnwc in partnership with their son Graham, represent the third generation of their family to work the land. Their 550-acre holding in Castlemorris includes dairy cattle and the cultivation of both winter and spring cereals.

Margaret and Tim have a long-standing association with the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society and the County Show. Margaret, in particular, has achieved considerable success in equestrian showing at events including Royal Windsor, the Great Yorkshire Show, and the Royal Cornwall Show. She also founded and continues to run Castlemorris Equestrian and Pet Supplies from the farm.

Speaking following their appointment, Tim said: “Margaret and I work as a partnership. The County Show is a major part of Pembrokeshire and is an integral part of farming in the county. We are looking forward to the year ahead. We have chosen RABI and the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society as our charities to support over the next 12 months.”

During the Society’s Annual General Meeting, held recently at the Pembrokeshire Showground, Mr and Mrs James Evans were voted in as Presidents Elect.

Other appointments for 2025 include Miss Alys Owens, who was named as the Society’s Ambassador. Alys, who lives in Haverfordwest and works for Castell Howell, is an active member of Llysyfran YFC. She served as Club Secretary last year, a role for which she was named Club Secretary of the Year at County level. A talented musician, Alys plays the cornet with Goodwick Brass Band.

Outgoing President Adam Thorne used the occasion to thank all those who had supported him during his term in office.

Alys Owens, the 2025 Ambassador, is pictured between Margaret and Tim Johns, the 2025/26 Joint Presidents.

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News

Casualty airlifted after fall on rocks at Manorbier

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A PERSON was flown to hospital with a suspected broken ankle after falling on rocks at Manorbier on Sunday afternoon (April 13).

Emergency services were called shortly after 1:30pm, with Tenby RNLI, the Wales Air Ambulance, land paramedics, and coastguard teams from Tenby and St Govans attending.

Tenby’s inshore lifeboat launched first, with two crew members going ashore just as the air ambulance arrived to land nearby. They were soon joined by a land ambulance and coastguard rescue officers.

A stretcher was brought ashore from the all-weather lifeboat, and RNLI crew assisted in stabilising the casualty and carrying them up the beach for transfer into the waiting helicopter.

Once the airlift was complete, both lifeboats were stood down and returned to station.

It was the third call-out of the weekend for Tenby RNLI volunteers.

The first incident took place at 2:20pm on Friday (April 11), when the all-weather lifeboat was diverted from a training exercise following a report of paddleboarders possibly in difficulty near Manorbier. As the lifeboat arrived, the paddleboarders were confirmed safe ashore and the crew resumed their exercise.

Later that evening, at 9:15pm, the lifeboat launched again to assist the operator of a seven-metre rigid inflatable boat that had broken down around a mile south of Old Castle Head. The boat was towed safely back to Freshwater East, from where it had launched earlier in the day.

(Photo: File image)

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