Mark Drakeford launches attack on Labour colleague over Welsh Government school holiday decision

Former First Minister Mark Drakeford made a stinging intervention in the Senedd following the Welsh Government's announcement to scrap its plans to shake-up the school calendar.

The ex-first minister criticised the Welsh Government's decision not to push ahead and reform the school year by cutting the six-week holidays to five, and extending the autumn half term to two weeks.

Drakeford was speaking in the Senedd when he slammed the Education Secretary's decision to row back on plans to shorten school summer holidays.

A Labour source told ITV Cymru Wales they had never seen anything like it before.

Mr Drakeford said: "What we've heard this afternoon is the abandonment of a manifesto commitment."

Labour MS Hefin David was trying to heckle over the former leader of Welsh Labour as he continued.

Education secretary Lynne Neagle responded by saying: "With respect I think I have very clearly set out my reasons for making this decision today."

Drakeford could be seen trying to intervene, to which Ms Neagle said: "Can you let me finish, because I let you finish, I didn't say a word whilst you were speaking."

Ms Neagle was deputy mental health minister in Mr Drakeford's cabinet.

The exchange comes a day before First Minister Vaughan Gething, Mr Drakeford's successor, faces a Conservative-tabled confidence vote in the Senedd.

Plans to cut the school summer holidays in Wales were shelved until after the next Welsh Parliament election in 2026.

It followed a mixed response from the biggest Welsh Government education consultation on record, which generated more than 16,000 responses and sought views on changing the school calendar to spread school holidays out more evenly across the year.

If the proposals had gone ahead, the half term break in October 2025 would have been extended to a fortnight, with a five-week rather than six-week holiday in summer 2026.

Ms Neagle said postponing the change until the next Senedd term would allow schools to focus on other major improvements.

Welsh Conservatives' shadow education minister Tom Giffard MS said: “It appears that under the strain of the upcoming vote of no confidence in the first minister, Labour is struggling to keep it together.

“For Mark Drakeford to angrily challenge the Labour government on a policy within his own legacy is unheard of.

“Although it is the right decision to pause the plans, Labour must go further and scrap the school holiday reforms altogether.”

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: “The Labour First Minister is in crisis, the Labour government is imploding and the Labour party in Wales is in disarray”