Mark Drakeford’s controversial trip to watch Wales at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds, it has been revealed. A Freedom of Information request (FOI) submitted by the Welsh Liberal Democrats has outlined that Mr Drakeford’s visit, alongside economy minister Vaughan Gething, is projected to cost £13,007 in public money.
There were calls long before the tournament started for Welsh Government figures to boycott Qatar over concerns about the country’s human rights record, its treatment of migrant workers who built the stadiums used in the World Cup and stance on LGBTQ+ rights, with homosexuality illegal in the country.
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price criticised Mr Drakeford’s trip before the tournament got under way last month. He referenced a comment from former Qatari international footballer Khalid Salman, now a public face of the World Cup in Qatar, who said homosexuality was a “damage in the mind”. Mr Price asked if the First Minister would be reconsidering his visit in light of those comments, with Mr Drakeford going ahead with the planned trip after the Welsh Government stressed that it “condemns these shameful comments and stands in solidarity with LGBTQ+ communities everywhere”.
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Meanwhile, the Welsh Liberal Democrats repeatedly called on Mr Drakeford and Mr Gething to cancel their visit, deeming it to be “inappropriate given the country’s record on human rights but also an unnecessary use of public money during the cost-of-living crisis”, and the party is now calling on Welsh Labour to donate £13,000 of its own funds to human rights charities to make up for the cost incurred by the taxpayer.
Meanwhile, it is claimed that a second FOI shows that the Welsh Government office in Qatar has never been used to promote human rights in the country. This is despite the government previously saying: "We believe in engaging with countries that do not always share our values on human rights, LGBTQ+ rights, workers’ rights and political and religious freedom. Engaging with countries is an opportunity to develop a platform for further discussion, to raise awareness, and to potentially influence a change in approach.”
The Welsh Liberal Democrats claim the second FOI shows that the only evidence of the above statement from the Welsh Government being acted on is a single online event held on International Women’s Day in 2021. “What these Freedom of Information requests show is what we long suspected, human rights have taken a backseat in the Welsh Government’s priorities during its engagements with Qatar in favour of investment deals,” said Welsh Liberal Democrats leader, Jane Dodds MS. “There is also a question over whether spending £13,000 of taxpayers’ money on a trip for two ministers to Qatar is good value for money, especially in a cost-of-living crisis.
“In order to make up for helping to legitimise a tournament built on human rights abuses, I am now calling on the Welsh Labour Party to donate £13,000 of their own party funds to human rights charities that address the various issues faced in Qatar. I am also reiterating my party’s calls that the Welsh Government office in Qatar should be shut. If it is unable to promote human rights, including LGBTQ+ rights and the rights of workers, alongside other values of our country, then it shouldn’t be open.”
In response to the issues raised by the FOIs, a spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: "The First Minister and the economy minister visited Qatar to support the Welsh men’s football team as they took part in their first World Cup in 64 years. This was an opportunity to discuss trade and investment opportunities, meet with members of the Qatar Government and to take part in cultural meetings to strengthen the links between the two countries. The visit also was a chance to share our values on human rights, LGBTQ+ rights, workers’ rights and political and religious freedom.”
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