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Andrew RT Davies accuses Welsh Gov of ‘gloating’ about loaning England Covid tests

11 Jan 2022 3 minute read
First Minister Mark Drakeford and Andrew RT Davies. Pictures by Senedd Cymru (CC BY 2.0).

Andrew RT Davies has accused the Welsh Government of “gloating” about loaning Covid tests to England.

The Leader of the Tories in the Senedd claimed “Welsh Labour politicians behaved like petulant playground children” after England was bailed out with the loan of four million Lateral Flow Tests, amid an acute shortage in the country.

The Conservative politician took exception to Vaughan Gething, the Welsh Government’s former Health Minister, for saying “you’re welcome” to England’s Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Twitter. According RT Davies it was “without a hint of irony.”

He also accused the Welsh Government of playing “politics with the pandemic” and of trying to “turn every little issue into a Wales v England match in an effort to dog-whistle for nationalists in Wales”.

The loan of Lateral Flow Tests to England came after UK pharmacies and scientists warned that the shortage was becoming a “huge” problem, as they were being requested every five minutes to deal with the Omicron surge in cases.

In an article for ConservativeHome, Andrew RT Davies wrote: “While the British Government has been purchasing vaccines to save lives and returning people’s freedoms, in Wales the Labour administration has been playing politics with the pandemic and trying to rip our Union apart.

“We saw a great example of this last month when Welsh Labour politicians behaved like petulant playground children, gloating about the fact they loaned some COVID tests to the UK Government.

“Tests have been shared among the nations through the pandemic, and in my view that demonstrates the strength of the Union – but not in the eyes of Mark Drakeford.

He added: “If the Welsh Government had their way we would still be in the EU and our vaccine rollout would not be anywhere near where it is today.

“Constantly, Drakeford and others in the Labour administration in Cardiff Bay have played identity politics with the pandemic, trying constantly to turn every little issue into a Wales v England match in an effort to dog-whistle for nationalists in Wales.”

‘Demand’ 

In a statement on the loan of Covid tests to England, Mark Drakeford said that “demand for PCR tests and for lateral flow devices continues to rise and has reached new record levels”.

“Wales has a significant stock of lateral flow tests, sufficient to meet our needs over the weeks ahead,” he said.

“The Health Minister has agreed today to loan a further four million such tests to the English NHS, bringing that mutual aid to 10 million lateral flow tests.

“Distribution of lateral flow test kits through home delivery and pharmacies remains the responsibility of the UK Government and we are working with it, as it increases the capacity of the system.”


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Mark
Mark
2 years ago

Yet again art davies proves he is absolutely pointless, I fully expect him to be leaping to the defence of Johnson in the next article

j humphrys
j humphrys
2 years ago
Reply to  Mark

Well, he likes to party…………

Grayham Jones
2 years ago

Kick all English party’s out of wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 it’s time for a new wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago

Somebody please tell him that he has just made himself look childish, irrelevant and insecure. He has long passed the pathetic stage.

Malcolm rj
Malcolm rj
2 years ago

There was a time that i did listen to Andrew RT but I have been turned right off the Man he seems to be against anything that the Welsh government say and do move to England stand for the conservatives up there the last thing we need in the Welsh parliament is you

R W
R W
2 years ago

ARTD is becoming increasingly pointless and irrelevant.

GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
2 years ago

R2D2 needs to think before he speaks.

Welsh_Siôn
Welsh_Siôn
2 years ago
Reply to  GW Atkinson

You think that’s possible?

For him – as for every Tory, like?

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  GW Atkinson

ARTD always ( well almost always ) thinks before he speaks my friend – that is what gives him the political and publicity reach way above his weight ,…which is condiderable 🤔

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

ARTD is really pee’d off because he has nothing to gloat about. Bit of a dud on a personal level and overly attached to a party that is creaking at the seams as it sinks in a mess of corruption and incompetence. Can’t gloat about that, can he ? Hart is stuck in the same mess.

Welsh_Siôn
Welsh_Siôn
2 years ago
Reply to  hdavies15

A nation mourns.

Ed Jones
Ed Jones
2 years ago

Shush now ARTD, for every time you speak, or, as in this case, get a grownup to help you with your crayons, you quickly prove just how incredibly silly and utterly devoid of any intelligence you truly are.

Welsh_Siôn
Welsh_Siôn
2 years ago

Would this be the same R2D2 who regularly extols the largesse (aye, right) visited upon us, the Taffy subsidy junkies, by the munificence of Westminster? Does he not ‘gloat’ when he refers to the generosity of his (and our) Londonian masters towards us natives? Are we not to feel all ‘umble and grateful to the bwanas without whom we could not possibly survive? Are we not ‘too poor, too small, too stupid’, to govern ourselves? Is it not right for such babus to denigrate their own nation and gloat that theirs – the tongue up the backside, the OBNs –… Read more »

Dewi Williams
Dewi Williams
2 years ago

This man is so besotted with his “precious” UK and beloved England that he has lost all sense of proportion. He needs reminding that despite great wealth extracted from Wales’s natural resources during out membership of the UK has been exploited and squandered largely for the benefit of UK and elsewhere. As a consequence Wales has been left the poorest nation of his “precious” Union. His twisted sense of proportion has him convinced that he has never “played politics” himself. His hypocrisy is monumental. England is always best by his reckoning and whatever they do it is better than the… Read more »

Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

It is becoming increasingly obvious that there is not a Tory to be found in Wales who will stand up for Wales, if it in anyway detracts from their percieved (primary) duty to the Consrvative and Unionist party.
It makes me want to vomit.
(Preferably over one of them)

Cofid
Cofid
2 years ago
Reply to  Erisian

There is no such thing as a Welsh Tory

George
George
2 years ago

“He also accused the Welsh Government of playing “politics with the pandemic” and of trying to “turn every little issue into a Wales v England match” Err, media supportive of Boris sharing photos of Welsh shops, saying Welsh borders closed to specifically English people when this wasn’t accurate; Tory MS’s complaining that Welsh booster rollout didn’t allow everyone to book when they wanted, didn’t open on Christmas day; Tory MP’s making numerous comments regarding Park-runs…. I think both the Labour government in Senedd and Tory government in Westminster are now worried enough about their own actions and are trying to… Read more »

Cat
Cat
2 years ago

I’m not sure he is well

Welsh_Siôn
Welsh_Siôn
2 years ago
Reply to  Cat

He IS well … well past his ‘best before date’ …

Paul
Paul
2 years ago

He needs to be banned from standing for public office post-independence. He is a shameless English supremacist. He is certain to be part of a fifth column working to ruin the country and force us into ‘english county’ status. He is a walking advert for the damage control by another country can do to those of feeble impressionable mind.

Twm Sion Cati
Twm Sion Cati
2 years ago

Andrew Rt Davies leader of the Vichy party

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

Firstly, Andrew RT Davies, Wales didn’t loan four but gave ten million Lateral Flow Tests to England to help their NHS, a health system we created & founded remember. And anyone being childish is you for defending the indefensible. For continually attacking Wales interests not defending them. This is the reason why you always fail and will never become First Minister of Wales. As a leader you are wooden, lack sincerity and the voters pick up on this Tory trait. Remember when you attacked Mark Drakeford stating his signature guarantee on Welsh Labour’s Senedd Manifesto wasn’t worth the paper written… Read more »

Nige
Nige
2 years ago

Tubs Davies, do us all a favour, p**s off to England. Traitor.

Cwm Rhondda
Cwm Rhondda
2 years ago
Reply to  Nige

Great comment Nige, if there was a Traitors’ league table ART Davies would be at the top with Traitor Cairns

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