Mark Drakeford has said he believes that Wales would not be “so poor” if it became independent but that the union is a great insurance policy.
In an interview with the Irish Times, Wales’ First Minister explained that he felt “Welsh first and British next”. Welsh independence has become a far more mainstream issue in recent years with polls putting support around 30%. You can read the things you need to consider when deciding your views on independence here.
As Welsh independence has risen in popularity, Mar Drakeford has toed a very delicate line between not calling for independence but also pushing for changes to the status quo through his desire for “radical federalism” (which would mean significantly more powers coming from Westminster to Wales). In doing this Welsh Labour have managed to avoid the fate of Scottish Labour who saw their vote share massively reduced for failing to properly address issues of independence there.
