36 Facts About Mark Drakeford

Mark Drakeford was born on 19 September 1954 and is a Welsh politician serving as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour since 2018.

Mark Drakeford previously served in the Welsh Government as Cabinet Secretary for Finance from 2016 to 2018 and Minister for Health and Social Services from 2013 to 2016.

Mark Drakeford studied Latin at the University of Kent and the University of Exeter.

Mark Drakeford was a lecturer at the University College of Swansea from 1991 to 1995 and at Cardiff University from 1995 to 1999.

Mark Drakeford was a Professor of Social Policy and Applied Social Sciences at Cardiff University from 2003 to 2013.

Mark Drakeford was elected at the 2011 National Assembly for Wales election for Cardiff West.

Mark Drakeford served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance from 2016 to 2018 and as Minister for Brexit from 2017 to 2018.

Mark Drakeford has led the Welsh Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mark Drakeford is widely considered to belong to the left wing of the Labour Party, and is supported by some members of Welsh Labour Grassroots and Momentum.

Mark Drakeford was the only sitting Cabinet member in any part of the UK to support Jeremy Corbyn in his bid for the national leadership of the Labour Party in 2015, while he was Minister for Health and Social Services.

Mark Drakeford was born and brought up in Carmarthenshire, West Wales.

Mark Drakeford studied Latin at the University of Kent, and graduated from the University of Exeter.

Mark Drakeford moved to Cardiff in 1979 and worked as a probation officer and a youth justice worker, including as a Barnardo's project leader in the Ely and Caerau communities.

Mark Drakeford's experiences working with young people in deprived areas inspired him to help establish the Welsh youth homelessness charity Llamau in the late 1980s.

From 1991 to 1995, Mark Drakeford was a lecturer in applied social studies at the University College of Swansea.

Mark Drakeford then moved to the University of Wales, Cardiff, renamed as Cardiff University in 1999, as a lecturer in its School of Social and Administrative Studies.

Mark Drakeford was promoted to senior lecturer in 1999 and appointed as Professor of Social Policy and Applied Social Sciences in 2003.

Mark Drakeford continued in his academic posts until his appointment as a Welsh Government minister in 2013.

Mark Drakeford has published books and journal articles on various aspects of social policy.

Mark Drakeford has always been interested in politics, which he says was part of the fabric of life in 1960s Carmarthenshire.

Mark Drakeford is a staunch opponent of Britain's Trident nuclear programme and has called for its decommissioning.

From 1985 to 1993, Mark Drakeford represented the Pontcanna ward on South Glamorgan County Council, with fellow future Welsh Assembly members Jane Hutt and Jane Davidson as his ward colleagues.

Mark Drakeford served as Chair of the Education Committee and took a particular interest in Welsh-medium education.

Mark Drakeford had been close with Morgan for a number of years, having been Morgan's election agent when he was elected to the UK Parliament.

Mark Drakeford succeeded Morgan as the Assembly Member for Cardiff West when the latter retired at the 2011 election.

Mark Drakeford's appointment was welcomed by the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing.

Mark Drakeford's portfolio was later changed, as he assumed responsibility for the Welsh Government's Brexit preparations and responsibility for local government was transferred to Alun Davies.

At the UK Labour Party's conference in September 2022, Mark Drakeford used his speech at conference to in part hail the benefits of electoral reform.

Mark Drakeford has been a long term advocate for using proportional representation at general elections.

Immediately following Carwyn Jones' announcement on 21 April 2018 that he intended to resign as party leader and First Minister, Mark Drakeford told BBC Wales he was giving a leadership bid 'serious consideration'.

Mark Drakeford immediately secured the public support of seven other Labour AMs, taking him beyond the threshold of nominations needed to get onto the ballot.

Mark Drakeford later received support from 10 MPs, eight trade unions and 24 Constituency Labour Parties.

On 6 December 2018, it was announced that Mark Drakeford had been elected as the leader of the Welsh Labour Party in succession to Carwyn Jones.

Mark Drakeford was appointed as a Privy Counsellor on 10 January 2019.

Pollster Ben Walker wrote in a piece for the New Statesman that one of the factors which had contributed to Labour's success at the election was that Mark Drakeford had developed a greater profile among the public in Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic and was perceived as competent and the best potential First Minister.

Mark Drakeford was married to Clare Buckle from 1977 until her death in 2023, at the age of 71.