Welsh Labour's Ken Skates speaks about anxiety and depression

Ken Skates, newly appointed leader of Welsh Labour, has candidly shared his lifelong battle with anxiety and depression. He revealed that his mental health challenges became particularly intense during his years at the University of Cambridge, where he ultimately received a diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder along with depression. Skates described a sensation of detachment from reality, as if he were merely observing his own life unfold, adding that at times “nothing feels real.”

Reflecting on his past, Skates acknowledged that the anxiety he experienced as a child and young adult is still present but emphasized that he has learned to manage these feelings through treatment and talking therapies. Born in Wrexham, Skates represents the Flintshire area as a Member of the Senedd (MS). He was confirmed as the leader of Welsh Labour last month, following the party’s historic losses at the recent Senedd election that ended their 27-year tenure in government. The election saw Plaid Cymru take control, while Reform emerged as the largest opposition party in Cardiff Bay, with Welsh Labour securing just nine out of 96 seats.

Growing up near Mold in Flintshire, Skates was the first in his family to attend university. His upbringing was heavily influenced by the post-industrial decline in his hometown, particularly the closure of the Shotton steelworks where both his parents were employed. This environment instilled a strong sense of injustice in him, which steered him towards political activism. He recounted how his mental health difficulties became most acute at Cambridge, a place unfamiliar and alien to him. Skates recalled feeling out of place amid customs and behaviors unlike anything he had encountered before, such as wearing formal academic attire and attending social events that heightened his anxiety.

During this period, Skates began experiencing dissociation, a symptom where he felt disconnected from himself and his surroundings, describing it as “dreaming your day away.” Though initially struggling to access support, he was eventually diagnosed and prescribed medication. Skates emphasized that his anxiety was present long before university, citing his childhood tendency to be “always keen to please” and wary of confrontation. Today, while those feelings remain, he is conscious of them and credits talking therapies with transforming his ability to cope, calling this realization a “game changer.”

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