For many people in Wales the pandemic was the first time they truly realised they were governed by two Governments – the UK Government in Westminster and the Welsh Government headquartered in Cardiff Bay. In the two years since the pandemic arrived on our shores huge parts of Welsh society and life have been run by the Welsh Government but it wasn’t until Covid took hold that the realities of the current devolution settlement became apparent to huge swathes of Wales.
Mark Drakeford went from a man who could walk down any Welsh street largely unrecognised to one of the most familiar faces in the country. But just because the Welsh Government had a great deal of control over the pandemic response in Wales doesn’t mean they had sole control or were operating in a vacuum.
The UK Government had both direct and indirect impacts on how the pandemic played out in Wales. Whether that was when they essentially managed the pandemic responses in March 2020, their control over the furlough scheme and mass testing, or simply the spread of the virus across the border, what the UK Government did also really mattered in Wales. This is to say nothing for the fact that it is still Welsh taxpayers' money being spent – even on projects affecting England.
