FIRST MINISTER Mark Drakeford launched a savage attack in the Senedd today, accusing the Conservative Party of fostering a culture war over gender recognition and mirroring attacks on voting rights by US Republicans.

Tory Laura Anne Jones had asked why the First Minister’s government is focusing on gender recognition reform — plans she said would adversely affect women — and whether Welsh Labour’s plan to introduce self-identification would be dropped.

Mr Drakeford said: “I am not going to get drawn into the shrill and deliberately divisive debate that the member continuously attempts to raise on the floor of this Senedd.