WELSH Labour leader Mark Drakeford is expected to be reappointed as first minister in the Senedd for another term after the party’s election result. 

In Thursday’s devolved elections in Wales Labour ended up with 30 of the Senedd’s 60 seats, one short of an overall majority – matching its best ever performance since devolution.

Mr Drakeford said today he would be celebrating his party’s success with a takeaway at home after pledging to work with others in the chamber to form a new Welsh government. 

However, it has been rumoured that Welsh Labour could attempt to govern without a formal coalition being signed, similar to the relationship they had with the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru from 2011. 

In the last term the Liberal Democrats had one minister in government, but the party’s only remaining Senedd member has ruled out joining the government. 

Mr Drakeford said: “We’ve demonstrated in the past that you can govern successfully with 30 seats, but my approach will be to work with other parties where there are policy ideas that we have in common.

“No party has a monopoly of good ideas. I’m much more interested in working with others where we think that will be to the betterment of Wales than I am in the sort of political fixing of things.”

The result stands in stark contrast to Labour’s performance elsewhere in Britain, losing key local seats in England and recording its worst ever performance in Scotland. 

Mr Drakeford has vowed to be radical and ambitious in government as his party continues in power in Wales. “The public knows that if we say something in our manifesto, then they can have confidence that it will be delivered,” he said.