Plaid Cymru push for independence ‘the height of recklessness’ says Drakeford

Labour leader Mark Drakeford has said that Plaid Cymru’s push for independence for Walles is the “height of recklessness”.

In an interview with WalesOnline he compared Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price to a man “standing on 100 foot diving board attempting for the first time to dive into a bucket”.

He also repeated his assertion that independence would leave Wales “cut off” and that he wanted a future where the nation was “connected to other places”.

“Well, I thought, the leader of Plaid Cymru gave the most astonishing answer in the debate that we had on Sunday night,” he said.

“He said, ‘I’m appealing to those people who have made their minds about independence to say, now’s the time to give it a go’.

“And I thought to myself, this is a man standing on 100 foot diving board attempting for the first time to dive into a bucket and saying to people, if you’re not sure about it, my advice to you is, give it a go.

“Well, I mean, that seems to be the height of recklessness.”

‘Cut off’

Mark Drakeford said that he was “fiercely Welsh” but there was a “difference between feeling powerfully about the place you live in and believing that nationalism and independence is the right answer to it”.

“We live in an inter-dependent world. I am interested in the future for Wales in which we are connected to other places not cut off from them.”

A poll yesterday suggested that 46% of Labour voters backed independence, with ‘don’t knows’ removed, and Mark Drakeford was asked why Wales had seen a rise in support for complete autonomy.

“I think the experience of coronavirus has strengthened in people’s minds the extent to which we have had independent powers and use them independently,” he said.

“Now, I’m very pleased about that, because that’s what I think devolved Wales would be, an entrenched devolved Wales with powerful, independent right of action to take decisions on behalf of people in Wales on things that only affect Wales.

“Does that say to me, so the answer then is to cut ourselves off from everybody else in the United Kingdom? Absolutely not.”