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Tories would have gone ‘purple with rage’ if Drakeford had done what PM is accused of, Welsh minister says

18 Jan 2022 3 minute read
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Picture by Annika Haas (CC BY 2.0). Mark Drakeford. Picture by CPMR – Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CC BY-SA 2.0).

The Conservatives would have turned “purple with rage” if Wales’ First Minister had done what Boris Johnson is accused of at Downing Street, a Welsh minister has said.

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said that if Mark Drakeford had attended a drinks party during the lockdown the Welsh Conservatives would have “not stopped talking about it”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is embroiled in a crisis over allegations of numerous parties held in Downing Street while the rest of the UK was in lockdown.

“If you think about that, if that had been here in Wales, if the First Minister here had gone out on to the grass outside Cathays Park with his elderflower cordial to mee 30 Welsh Government workers who were having drinks,” Vaughan Gething said.

“Andrew RT Davies of the Welsh Tories would have gone purple with rage. And it would not have stopped being talked about, no one would have bought this ridiculous excuse that it was actually a work event not a drinks party.

“And no one would have been fobbed off with this idea that you did not need to account for what you were really doing until a civil servant who is ultimately responsible to you has done a report.

“It’s not just one incident though, is it? The Prime Minister seems to have genuine contempt for the rules as far as they apply to him, while issuing strictures as his other ministers have done that everybody must obey the rules.

“The reason we’re in this place today in Wales with case rates significantly lower than England is that people have played their part.

“And I just wish there was a sense of accountability and decency in Downing Street.”

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‘Alternative’

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies has so far backed the Prime Minister, saying that he was waiting for the outcome of civil servant Sue Gay’s report into the alleged lockdown breaches.

“People are hurt, angry and let down at the events of the past 48 hours, and the Prime Minister has rightly apologised,” he said.

“The inquiry by the senior civil servant, Sue Gray, must now be expedited to establish the full facts and report the findings as soon as possible.

“It’s vital the Prime Minister continues his work on the booster roll out, which has been world-leading, so we can get Britain on the road to recovery and free from restrictions.

“Here in Wales, we’ve seen first-hand what the alternative would be under a Labour administration, with crippling restrictions on the economy and society, and untold damage to our businesses, health and well-being.

“The Conservatives must continue to lead the world in the recovery and deliver the restoration of freedoms as we learn to live with COVID.”


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Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

So the Boris and the Conservative party are not ‘the establishment’ line, so emphasised during the EU referendum and 2019 GE, is just a pack of lies – who would have known? The loose mask wore has finally slipped off and the Tories are seen for what they truly are – elitist unionists, who do what they want with no repercussions and with little concern for you or I. Once again – who would have known…..?

Gareth
Gareth
2 years ago

How ironic, that the leader nobody knows, goes on about restoring our freedom, as the Torys try to silence the BBC and limit our news outlets, to those that favour the Tory party, (Rupert Murdoch) and they try to push through parliament a bill they call the law and order bill, that most of the judiciary agree will harm our civil liberties, at a time when they break just about every Covid rule they wrote. Utter tripe from the part time farmer.

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago
Reply to  Gareth

Beth Rigby, Sky News, has managed to get Johnson to say on camera; “Nobody told me that it (the party in the garden) was against the rules.”
This being the man who signed off those rules in cabinet then repeatedly went live on-air to explain them to the people of the UK. Perm any six epithets from this list of 643…

Brechfa Smythe _ Rhydderch
Brechfa Smythe _ Rhydderch
2 years ago
Reply to  Kerry Davies

It does not matter in this biased publication what the truth is it is the right on message of its Welsh government sponsors that counts. Cymru PRAFDA.

Wrexhamian
Wrexhamian
2 years ago

If that were true, it would be guilty of bias in the same way as, for instance, the Daily Mail. What it does do is to report facts and provide anaysis of modern Welsh politics and society. If you don’t like modern Welsh politics and society, you might prefer to read stuff relating to your own country instead, e.g. in the Daily Mail.

Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

But to be fair, it doesn’t take much to make a Tory ‘purple with rage’, all you really need to do is to prove one wrong about somethng they think they know about.
The other thing that makes them purple with rage is the realization that they are entirerly out of ideas for the future and the knowledge that we will not follow them back into their fictional version of the past.

Gwyn Evans
Gwyn Evans
2 years ago

If I walked into my garden, lockdown rules or no, and found 30 or 40 people eating and drinking, two of the elements normally associated with a party., I hope it would take me fewer than 25 minutes to realise that that’s exactly what it was.

D Davenport
D Davenport
2 years ago
Reply to  Gwyn Evans

I don’t no why everyone is getting on boris johnsons back for something that happened nearly 2 years ago.has everyone forgotten off the pressure he was under trying to do his best for the Country.and giving furlough to help people out.if he didn’t deserve a drink I dont no who does.i can’t understand why keir starmer calls and mocks boris when it turns out that he has been having takeaways.whats the difference between food or drink and what else don’t we no about.leave boris alone he’s the best PM Britain has had for a long time.

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