Mark Drakeford: a steady operator thrust into the spotlight by Covid

Wales’s departing first minister won admiration in the crisis but problems in health and education blighted his record

• Drakeford to step down as Wales first minister

There was no great sense of excitement when Mark Drakeford won the race to become the first minister of Wales five years ago.

He was considered a decent man – and unafraid of calling himself a socialist – but a steady pair of hands rather than a charismatic, headline-grabbing leader.