Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall has responded to the “Tying the Knot: Reforming Wedding Law in England and Wales” consultation.
The response was as follows:
Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall welcomes the publication of the above consultation, which we understand follows the Law Commission’s 2022 report “Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law.”
In particular, we welcome that the consultation document specifically references the use of languages “other than English or Welsh” and actually gives the example “such as Cornish.” It is pleasing that calls for people to be able to marry in the Cornish language has been acknowledged.
We wish to express our full support for couples being able to make their legally binding vows, for both marriages and civil partnerships, in Cornish. We consider it extremely important that Cornish speakers have the ability to use Cornwall’s national language in such a significant life event, just as Welsh speakers are able to use the Welsh language.
In support of this important shift in policy, we would point out that in April 2014 the UK Government confirmed the Cornish would be recognised through the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The official government press release stated that “the decision to recognise the unique identity of the Cornish, now affords them the same status … as the UK’s other Celtic people, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.”
This was a landmark moment for the Cornish and the Framework Convention is a significant international treaty, which sets out numerous obligations that include support for language and culture, education, the greater visibility of national minorities in public life, and so much more.
The language itself has been protected since 2002, initially through part II of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and, last year, it was confirmed that it would be covered by the more far-reaching part III of the treaty, ensuring parity with the other Celtic languages of the United Kingdom – Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish.
Given the obligations within the Framework Convention and the European Charter, it is clear to us that as people in Scotland can get legally married in Scottish Gaelic and people in Northern Ireland can get legally married in Irish, it would be unjust if this provision is not extended to the speakers of Cornish.
It is our understanding that it is proposed legal documentation would continue to be produced only in English or Welsh. We believe that creates a considerable inconsistency, with a couple marrying in Cornish not receiving official documentation in the same language. This is not the case in the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom.
We are therefore also requesting that marriage certificates and other statutory paperwork can also be produced in Cornish and have the same legal status as English-language documentation.