Drakeford calls claims he’s ‘considering’ a curfew for men ‘misleading’  

Mark Drakeford has branded claims that he is “considering” a curfew for men as “misleading”.

The First Minister’s comments come following reports in the right-wing press that he could introduce a ban on men going out in the evening.

He was asked about the issue of BBC Breakfast in the wake of the death of Sarah Everard, which has sparked a debate about ensuring women’s safety.

Drakeford said: “We are not introducing a curfew for men in Wales – or even considering it. This is misleading and deliberately misses the real issue.

“It’s a sad distraction when what’s needed is a proper discussion about women’s safety and why a woman is killed every 3 days by a man in the UK.”

‘The Sun’ 

In response to a story in The Sun, the Tory leader in the Senedd, Andrew RT Davies, said: “This is barmy. We need to make sure women are safe and feel safe but no one can seriously suggest that placing innocent men under house arrest is the answer?

“All this from a Labour government and First Minister that’s given votes to prisoners.”

When he was asked about the issue, Mark Drakeford told the BBC: “It wouldn’t be on the top of the list of things we’d consider because it would be at the very best a temporary intervention.”

He added: “If there were a crisis, and you needed to take dramatic action that allowed that crisis to be drawn down, then of course you’d be prepared to consider all measures that would make a difference.

“But the curfew measure you’ve described, it could only ever be a temporary answer and therefore it’s not at the top of our list. There are other things we can do and should do.

“People need to be safe and to feel safe and that’s absolutely the sort of society we wish to create here in Wales.”