World Cup: Qatar gave Wales' Mark Drakeford five-star hotel stay

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has been criticised for staying in a luxury five-star hotel paid for by the Qatar government during his World Cup trip.

BBC Wales has learned that two ministers and four officials stayed three nights each in the Ritz-Carlton as guests of the host nation.

Liberal Democrats said accepting it meant his government potentially undermined its human rights commitment.

The Welsh government said the trip was to strengthen Wales' links with Qatar.

A spokesperson said the visit enabled the Welsh government to share its values in Qatar and it was a chance to discuss trade and investment opportunities.

Amnesty International challenged Welsh ministers to show they raised human rights issues in the country.

Late last year a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Lib Dems showed the Welsh government had paid £13,000 for flights for the controversial trip.

The Welsh government said this was part of a hospitality package offered to all delegates and their travelling parties attending the World Cup and the arrangement was used by both Mr Drakeford and Economy Minister Vaughan Gething.

The hotel used was the Ritz-Carlton, described on the company's website as a "rich resort experience" set on a private island.

Before the first minister went to the country Plaid Cymru's Adam Price and the Liberal Democrats had urged Mark Drakeford to call off the trip over human rights concerns.

The country has been criticised over its treatment of women, LGBT people, and migrant workers.

The Welsh government said it had raised "serious concerns" over the country's LGBT rights record but said the tournament gave Wales an opportunity to promote itself on the world stage and to seek investment from Qatar.

Mark Drakeford said in November it was a "difficult and closely balanced decision" to go, but said there was an "obligation" for ministers to support a Welsh team in its first World Cup in 64 years.

The first minister attended Wales' opening group match against the USA, while Mr Gething attended Wales v England.

Both were accompanied by a delegation of two officials, with each group staying in the Ritz-Carlton for their separate three-night long stays.

Jane Dodds, Welsh Lib Dem leader and MS for Mid and West Wales, has previously said the Welsh government should not "contribute to the whitewashing of Qatar's human rights record".

She told BBC Wales: "By accepting this gift from the Qatari government, Mark Drakeford has potentially undermined the Welsh government's commitment towards human rights, LGBTQ+ rights and women's rights."

She added that the government and Welsh Labour should donate the equivalent cost of the trip to human rights charities.

Mark Drakeford said that even deciding to go to Qatar in the first place was a "difficult and closely balanced decision" which had "very uncomfortable elements" given the country's human rights record.

So the publication of the fact that the Qatari regime funded his stay and that of his colleague Vaughan Gething, along with their officials in the Ritz-Carlton, might deepen that discomfort.

Ministers always defended the decision to go on the basis that it provided an unrivalled opportunity to sell Wales to the world, but they also said they would use the visit to promote Wales' values and challenge the Qatari record.

But the decision to go is one thing - deciding to accept the hospitality of the Qatari government is another.

And critics are questioning just how hard you can challenge the values of people who are paying for your accommodation.

Plaid Cymru's sport and international affairs spokeswoman Heledd Fychan said: "Accepting hospitality risks undermining the commitment made by the Welsh government that they condemn the record of the Qatar government on workers safety and LGBTQI+ rights.

"It's now essential that when the Senedd next meets, the first minister explains how he and the minister for the economy raised these important issues, and clearly outlines how Wales' international strategy aligns with our values as a nation."

Felix Jakens of Amnesty International UK said: "It would be a cause of real concern if politicians were accepting lavish hospitality - at the World Cup or anywhere else - from foreign governments and then feeling compromised when it came to raising human rights issues.

"We repeatedly called on politicians and others with influence who attended the World Cup in Qatar to raise human rights issues with their hosts and with FIFA, and we would hope that Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething can show that they sought to do this.

"Qatar was only able to host this highly controversial World Cup because of its systematic exploitation of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, and meanwhile LGBTQ+ people in Qatar continue to run the risk of arrest and imprisonment, and freedom of speech and women's rights are still unacceptably curtailed."

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 the International Labour Organisation to discuss worker rights, and to take part in cultural meetings to strengthen the links between the Qatar and Wales.

"The visit also was a chance to share our values on human rights, LGBTQ+ rights, workers' rights and political and religious freedom."