MARK Drakeford is still barred from dozens of pubs in Conwy with the chairman of a pub watch scheme saying he will never be welcome.

Mr Drakeford announced he would be stepping down as First Minister this week after five years at the helm of Welsh Government.

In December 2020, Mr Drakeford was barred from every pub on Conwy’s pub watch scheme after some landlords deemed some of his Covid restrictions as too extreme.

Rules introduced three years ago included a ban on alcohol sales in hospitality settings as well as a 6pm curfew.

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Phil Ashe, chairman of Llandudno Pub Watch and the vice-chair of West Conwy Pub Watch, said Mr Drakeford would struggle to get a pint in Conwy after he steps back from frontline politics.

He said: “Mark Drakeford is not welcome in our pubs, and he never will be because of the damage he caused all the pubs during the pandemic.

“We currently have 90 odd members, and Mark Drakeford is still barred.

“Most pubs and businesses are still struggling because of him.

“Everyone in the pubs is extremely happy he has resigned.

“We just seemed to be a punching bag for all his policies, and since we’ve come out of Covid, he has done nothing to help the businesses recover, and now going into a cost-of-living crisis, he goes and puts a 20mph speed limit in place, which has caused massive problems for our industry.

“All he has done is damage the tourist industry over the last five years.

“There’s not a chance he’s getting a beer in Conwy.”

The Welsh Government declined to comment.