When Mark Drakeford’s wife, Clare, died suddenly at the end of January, Glamorgan Cricket Club posted a photo of the couple sitting together in one of the stands, watching their team in action. The photo says a great deal about the Drakefords – a modest, unassuming couple who were, by all accounts, deeply devoted to each other. It also helps explain why Wales’s first minister has decided to announce his departure now, when he could easily have chosen to stay on until after the next UK general election, even if that meant remaining in post for another year.
Bereavement has hit Drakeford hard. While dedicated aides and officials have worked tirelessly to support him, and even political enemies have offered succour, high-profile public office offers little space or respite for those consumed by intense private grief. There is no suggestion that the first minister has remained anything other than diligent and dutiful – his ability to read and digest every paper presented to him has long been the subject of awed admiration among Welsh government civil servants – yet he can hardly be blamed for being ready for a period out of the limelight.
