Covid: UK government 'abandoned science', says Mark Drakeford

The UK government is more interested in distracting people from its issues rather than Covid, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

Confirming Wales' rules would ease further, Mr Drakeford said the UK government had "long abandoned any sense of following the science".

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Plan B Covid measures in England would be removed.

Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said the comments were "uncalled for".

Mr Drakeford told BBC Breakfast: "We've always taken a different approach in Wales, one that does things step-by-step in line with the science.

"We're a government that doesn't need to grab headlines to distract attention from the difficulties that we would be in if we were in the same position as the government in England."

Wales is currently in a three-week process of removing most of its Covid rules, with fans now allowed to return to sports stadiums and pubs and restaurants allowed to operate outdoors without the rule of six or social distancing.

But even when Wales reaches alert level zero, some measures will remain, such as face masks in shops and hospitality venues, Covid passes for nightclubs and large events and self-isolation rules.

In England, however, all Plan B measures will end on Thursday, including mandatory face masks and Covid passes.

Referring to the No 10 parties scandal, Mr Drakeford added: "I don't think there's any doubt at all that the UK government has long abandoned any sense that it is following the science.

"It is a government desperately in difficulties of its own making and is forever on the lookout for a headline which will distract people's attention from the awful mess that it finds itself in."

Speaking later at the Welsh government's Covid press conference, Mr Drakeford said there were no plans to charge for lateral flow tests in the future, despite rumours that their availability was to be limited in the coming months.

Mr Drakeford said: "This is not a decision for the UK government to make a alone and then to announce it to the rest of us.

"If the UK government is contemplating charging people for those tests in future that is a decision that should be made by us all. I've seen no proposition of that sort."

After Mr Drakeford's comments, Mr Hart, who is the Conservative MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, said in a tweet: "The first minister's comments are an uncalled for and opportunistic insult towards medical advisers and the public."

Meanwhile, Russell George, the Conservative MS for Monmouthshire, also criticised Mr Drakeford and reiterated calls for a Wales-specific Covid inquiry.

He said: "We've got the worse Covid death rates of any of the UK nations.

"If the first minister is so confident that he's getting things right in Wales, why is he running away from a Wales-specific public inquiry."

Mr Drakeford has previously said a UK-wide inquiry would deal with the Covid response of the Welsh government.