First Minister Mark Drakeford faces many more questions after he steps down
Even though Mark Drakeford is standing down as first minister of Wales, the questions he has faced today to the UK Covid Inquiry about his handling of the Covid pandemic won’t be the last.
In the short term, next Tuesday - 19 March - will be the final time he will answer First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd.
For the last two Tuesdays, he has been under fire from the leaders of the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru and there is no reason to expect that won’t be any different next week.
Both Andrew RT Davies and Rhun ap Iorwerth used their questions to ask about Mr Drakeford’s use of WhatsApp.
That in itself is no surprise: WhatsApp messages have been at the centre of the inquiry and of political criticism directed at Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock, Nicola Sturgeon and others.
On both occasions in the Senedd, Mr Drakeford refused to answer because, he said, he had to respect the inquiry. His refusal infuriated his opponents and led to increasingly angry exchanges.
Well, now they know. He told the inquiry that he used WhatsApp on 11 occasions, one of which was to say "thank you".
Mr Drakeford portrayed himself as someone who is largely ignorant of both communications systems such as WhatsApp and other technical aspects of mobile phones. He said he only has one phone, which was provided to him as part of his role as Senedd Member, not as a Welsh Government minister.
But here’s why I predict another round of questions about his phone use. The inquiry heard that any messages on his phone from July 2018 to March 2021 are not recoverable.
“I have no knowledge or expertise in the way in which messages are stored or not stored,” he said.
He also said he favours text messages - the opposition leaders may want to know about that - and, regardless of his own limited use, he defended the use of WhatsApp by ministers and officials for informal communication during the pandemic.
Some may think all that is a distraction from the real issues. And that is why in the longer term, even after he has stepped down as first minister, I think Mark Drakeford will continue to face questions.
Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru told my colleague, ITV Wales health reporter Katie Fenton, that they will not be giving up in their fight for what they see as justice.
She said they will keep pushing for a Wales-specific Covid Inquiry. Could the next First Minister take the opportunity to differentiate themselves with an early decision to hold one?
Even if that won’t happen, the families say they will regroup and present further evidence to the UK Inquiry which they hope will result in further scrutiny of Welsh ministers, including Mark Drakeford.
The inquiry is expected to last for at least another two years. There could be many more questions for Mark Drakeford long after he steps down from the top job.
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