In it’s formal response to the consultation into the so-called “devolution deal,” Mebyon Kernow has challenged the Conservatives on the unitary authority to acknowledge that the “deal” is inadequate and to use their political influence with the Tory Government in London to bring forward a meaningful devolution settlement for Cornwall.

The Party for Cornwall has repeatedly stated that the proposed “deal” is not a devolution deal at all, but a range of possible accommodations between central government and Cornwall’s unitary authority, adding that it “does not include the transfer of far-reaching powers from Westminster to Cornwall, as has happened in Wales and Scotland since 1999.”

The MK response states that “Cornwall is a special case for meaningful devolution.” The representation states:

“The proposed deal does reference Cornwall’s distinct heritage, culture and language, as well as the national minority status of the Cornish people, but it then ignores Cornish nationhood and fails to look beyond treating Cornwall as a local government unit of England. This is unacceptable.

“When the UK Government recognised the Cornish as a national minority (through the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities) in 2014, it pledged that the Cornish would be afforded the same status ‘as the UK’s other Celtic people, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.’ That commitment to parity with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom (which already have their own parliaments) must surely include meaningful devolution for the nation of Cornwall through the creation of a Cornish Parliament.

“It is the view of Mebyon Kernow that the provision of a parliament for Cornwall would demonstrate that the UK Government is finally starting to meet its obligations to the Cornish and Cornwall as set out in the Framework Convention.”

The MK representation rejects the notion that tweaks to the arrangements for local government in Cornwall can be deemed devolution and concludes:

“Cornwall is a historic nation and merits democratic parity with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom, such as Scotland and Wales.

“With this in mind, we repeat our call that the Conservative administration at the unitary authority should work with Cornwall’s six MPs to persuade the Conservative Government in London to bring forward a more significant devolution settlement for Cornwall, which includes a Cornish Parliament.”

The full more detailed document can be viewed at:

https://mebyonkernow.org/news/mk-response-to-devolution-deal-consultion/