Tories take final pop at Mark Drakeford on 20mph policy

Emily Price

The Welsh Conservatives have taken one final pop at Mark Drakeford over Wales’ controversial 20mph default speed limit.

The last ditch call to scrap the policy came during the outgoing First Minister’s last session to be quizzed by Senedd Members.

He will formally resign on Tuesday afternoon (March 19) after five years in office.

In September last year, Wales became the first UK nation to shift the 30mph default speed limit to 20mph.

The Welsh Government says the policy will save lives and save the NHS money.

The Welsh Tories have heavily opposed the new default speed limit and have promised to scrap it if they were ever in power in Wales.

Laughter

Welsh Conservative MS Tom Giffard was faced with groans and laughter from MSs in the Chamber when he raised the issue of speed restrictions in Wales during FMQs.

He wished the outgoing First Minister well before urging Mark Drakeford to make his final decision his “best one” by scrapping Wales’ 20mph default speed limit.

He said: “We know that last week the Senedd’s record breaking petition against the changes closed just shy of 470,000 signatures. It’s no surprise the policy proved deeply unpopular with the public.

“The government’s own figures say that the damage to the economy could be up to 9 billion pounds.

“So in the last few hours that you have in the job of First Minister, will you make your last decision your best one and scrap these 20mph speed limits?”

Proud

Responding, Mark Drakeford said he sometimes worries for Mr Giffard.

He said: “I think he deserves some better guidance from his colleagues than this question would suggest is available to him.

“I’m hugely proud of the fact that here in Wales we are at the leading edge of policy change that will happen far beyond Wales.

“We know it’s going to happen in Scotland, we see it happening in Ireland. We know that there are thousands of roads in England that are 20mph.

“And the reason that his predecessor David Melding initiated the debate on this on the floor of the Senedd is that in reducing just by a small amount the speed in which we drive in built up residential areas will save peoples lives.

“It will save thousand and thousands of people from the trauma of being seriously inured on our roads. It gives back those roads to the people who live on them.

“I’ve said in a series of interviews which I have had to give in the last few days that if you’re in the very fortunate position that I’ve been in, then you’re responsibility is to use the political capital you have, to use the opportunities that come your way.

“Not to do the easy things. Not to do the things that pander to populist headlines. But to do the things which can be difficult because change is always a challenge.

“Here in this government we are always determined that we will do the right thing rather than the thing that is convenient and popular at the time.

“I think 20mph speed limits are already changing people’s minds. I think it will go on doing that and before very long we will all look back and ask ourselves what the fuss was all about.

“Because we are not doing something together that will make such a difference in the lives of people who would otherwise not be here at all to tell us about it.”

‘Disappointed’

Speaking to Nation.Cymru following the exchange, Mr Giffard said: “Mark Drakeford’s last FMQs was a chance for him to change course on the defining policy of his premiership.

“People across Wales are angry at Labour’s top-down ‘we know best’ approach, best exemplified by their default 20mph policy.

“Just last week, the 470,000-strong Senedd petition against the changes closed, and it’s those nearly half a million people in Wales that will be most disappointed that he didn’t take today’s opportunity to u-turn on this damaging policy.”