Mebyon Kernow says it is “unbelievable” that MPs from Reform UK have tabled an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill in the House of Commons, which would ban the use of the Cornish language on election materials.

The proposed new clause 107 would dictate that the only languages that can be used on “any bill, placard, poster or printed document” would be English or Welsh. It also states that anyone who “commits an offence under this section” could face up to six months in jail.

Speaking on behalf of Mebyon Kernow, Cllr Loveday Jenkin, said:

“It is ludicrous that Reform UK are seeking to outlaw and criminalise the use of Celtic languages such as Cornish, Irish and Scottish Gaelic (as well as Romani) on election materials.

“I also find it extremely worrying that Reform MPs have such little respect for the Cornish language and the national minority status of the Cornish people. Instead of supporting one of the UK’s historic Celtic languages, they want to send anyone using Cornish on an election leaflet to jail. Madness!

“The clause is so daft that it would even ban Mebyon Kernow activists from campaigning as we would not be allowed to use our party name on election materials – as it is in Cornish!”

Further information:

Conservative MPs have also moved an amendment to “ban election materials published in a foreign language,” though, unlike the Reform UK amendment, it states that  this “would not ban campaigning in native languages of the British Islands such as in English, Welsh, Cornish, Ulster Scots, Irish, et al. Nor would it prevent campaigning via the likes of BSL or Braille.”

Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall does not support any amendments to specify which languages can or cannot be used on election leaflets. All inhabitants of the UK should be able to read about party policies in the language that they speak.