Mark Drakeford has announced he is stepping down as the Welsh first minister and a contest for the leadership of Welsh Labour will begin shortly. Drakeford said: “I have today formally notified the chair of the Welsh executive committee of my intention to stand down as leader of Welsh Labour in March 2024. “When I stood for the leadership, I said that, if elected, I would serve for five years. Exactly five years have passed since I was confirmed as first minister in 2018. “Nominations for my successor as Welsh Labour leader will open shortly. The process will be concluded by the end of the spring term, to enable the name of the winner to be put to the Senedd before the Easter recess. In the meantime, I remain your first minister.” He added: “In a five-year period, which has seen Wales deal with austerity, Brexit, the Covid pandemic, the climate crisis, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and four different prime ministers – so far – there will be lots to reflect on. “The next Welsh Labour leader and first minister will, I hope, have the opportunity, which has not come my way, to work with a newly elected Labour government in London. I will work as hard as I can to see that Labour government elected.” Drakeford had long said he would leave the post before the end of the current Senedd term in 2026 and in the summer made it clear he would leave the Welsh parliament completely at the next election. He was first elected as the Senedd member for Cardiff West in 2011 and became first minister after Carwyn Jones left the job eight years later. Drakeford’s role leading Wales’s response to the Covid crisis made him the most prominent Welsh leader since Rhodri Morgan and one of the UK’s most recognisable politicians. When he became leader almost exactly five years ago, he promised to follow “radical socialist traditions” in the style of Aneurin Bevan and Michael Foot and was vocal in his support for Jeremy Corbyn. He will be remembered for his cautious, avuncular style during the pandemic and also for a more recent and controversial policy: the introduction of 20mph speed limits in most built-up areas throughout Wales. The announcement comes at a sensitive time for the Labour administration, which is having to make wide-ranging budget cuts across almost all departments to help prop up the country’s struggling health service and rail system. Among the favourites to replace him will be Vaughan Gething, the economy minister, and Jeremy Miles, the education minister. Miles was one of the first to pay tribute, saying: “Mark Drakeford is an extraordinary man who has led Wales through extraordinary times. He has been a beacon for compassion in our politics, and an example of public service to our nation. “As we consider what comes next, I hope we will resolve to build on Mark’s legacy, to meet new challenges head on, and to set our sights on an ambitious future for Wales.” The UK Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “He’s a true titan of Welsh and Labour politics. It has been a pleasure to work alongside him and we all wish him the very best for his retirement.” The Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth paid tribute to Drakeford’s dedication to public life but accused him of squandering his chances to improve Wales and said during his term there had been longer NHS waiting lists, falling educational standards and a stagnant economy. He said: “Whoever is in charge of Labour in Wales, there’s no taking away from the fact that they take their orders from Keir Starmer, who has a blind spot to Wales and offers nothing to address our needs and aspirations.” The shadow secretary of state for Wales, Jo Stevens, said: “Mark Drakeford has epitomised public service and public duty throughout his time as first minister of Wales. His remarkable stewardship of Wales through the horror of the pandemic being the most obvious example. The leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, said: “While we may have different visions for Wales, I know I’m joined by colleagues in holding a huge amount of respect for his dedication to the job of first minister. “It’s important, however, with this announcement that there is no distraction from the really important job of delivering for the people of Wales. Labour politicians jockeying for the role of first minister must not detract from this.” Before entering politics, Drakeford worked as a probation officer, youth justice worker and Barnardo’s project leader in Cardiff. He has taught at Cardiff and Swansea universities.