FIRST MINISTER Mark Drakeford has rejected Conservative calls for him to apologise to pubs and restaurants for the impact of Wales’ coronavirus restrictions. 

During the weekly First Minister’s Questions, Tory leader Andrew RT Davies accused Mark Drakeford of keeping tighter restrictions in place than were in force in England during the outbreak of the omicron variant. 

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS called on Mark Drakeford to apologise to business owners across the country and increase financial support to help them survive and thrive.

But during today’s First Minister’s Questions, Drakeford insisted he had “absolutely nothing to apologise for” and refused to make more cash available for businesses.

The Tories say that many business owners are anxious that the money set aside by Labour ministers won’t even scratch the surface when it comes to recouping losses over the festive period and covering staffing costs.

Davies also pressed the First Minister to reveal what metrics will be used to judge when restrictions such as vaccine passports and masks to be removed in Wales.

However, Drakeford swerved the question, failing to outline criteria that would have to be met.

Commenting after the FMQ exchange, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS, said: “The First Minister’s refusal to apologise for the damage his overzealous restrictions have done to companies across Wales will feel like a massive slap in the face for business owners.

“Traders have been shouting from the rooftops that the current financial package isn’t enough and it’s clear they need more, but as well as refusing to say sorry, the First Minister is also refusing to provide them any additional support to compensate for the lost trade.

“It was also disappointing that the First Minister couldn’t give the Senedd a full and frank answer about what criteria has to be met before the use of COVID passports and other anti-business restrictions are dropped in Wales.

“Welsh residents and businesses deserve answers and clarity so they can start planning for a time when they can trade and live their lives as normal again, but Labour ministers are leaving the country in limbo.”

In response the First Minister said he had “absolutely nothing to apologise for.”

He said: “The Conservative Party in Wales has a great deal to apologise for, in the way that it has time after time, sought to deny people in Wales and businesses as well the protections that are needed from a global pandemic.

“We put in measures that were designed to make sure that lives were saved in Wales, and that businesses could go on trading and there’s absolutely nothing to apologise for in doing that, because those measures were necessary, and those measures have been effective.”