In conversation with Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister of Wales

Devolution to Wales is almost 25 years old. Since the first Welsh assembly elections in 1999, the powers of the devolved institutions in Cardiff have been substantially expanded –with Welsh voters backing the historic transformation of the assembly into a law-making parliament in a 2011 referendum. A quarter of a century since devolution began, what are the potential next steps in Wales’s unfinished constitutional journey? Set up to address this very question, the cross-party Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, established by the Welsh government, will publish its final report in January 2024 – a key moment in the debate on the future of Wales. The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, the First Minister of Wales, to discuss the findings of the commission, his perspective on how devolution to Wales could be protected and strengthened, and how a future Labour government in Westminster should reform the constitution and improve relations with the devolved administrations. Mr Drakeford was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government, followed by Q&A with the live and online audience.