HUMZA Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon have paid tribute to Mark Drakeford as he prepares to officially step down as First Minister of Wales.
He will tender his resignation to the King on Tuesday afternoon after taking a final round of questions from opposition leaders.
Drakeford’s successor Vaughan Gething will take over on Wednesday and will become the first black man to hold the role.
Writing on Twitter/X, Drakeford said it had been “an honour and a privilege” to hold the role and thanked everyone for their support.
Responding, former first minister Sturgeon said: “Mark has been an outstanding first minister of Wales.
“Principled, thoughtful, hard-working, he always stood up for Wales and for those in society who most need government on their side.
READ MORE: Watch the full interview as Owen Jones speaks with Humza Yousaf
“He will be the hardest of acts to follow. I will always be grateful for his counsel and friendship while I was FM, particularly as we led through the toughest of times during Covid. I wish him all the very best for the future.”
Yousaf was also also among those to pay tribute to Drakeford (below), writing on Twitter/X: “My very best wishes to Mark Drakeford. A model public servant who has rightly earned the respect of colleagues across the political spectrum.
“Mark has been a strong defender of devolution and has always been a friend of Scotland. I wish him all the very best for the future.”
We previously told how Drakeford said Tory ministers were “afraid” of confrontation with Sturgeon during his appearance at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
He said she was a “formidable politician” and said Tory ministers “would not like to be involved in a confrontational dialogue with her”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel