Article by Cllr Dick Cole published in Cornish Guardian newspaper (10th January 2024)

Just prior to Christmas, the Prime Minister confirmed that the next General Election will take place in 2024. This was hardly surprising, as the poll could take place as late as January 2025. At least it rules out campaigns over Christmas.

While most people are assuming that the election will happen in the autumn, there has been much speculation that it could be as early as May. The announcement of a spring budget has done nothing to dampen political gossip, though Rishi Sunak has just claimed that his “working assumption” is that the poll will be “in the second half of this year.”

Whenever it happens, I am fearful that there will be an inadequate focus on the needs of Cornwall and its people during the campaign. I say that as someone who has fought a Westminster election on four separate occasions for Mebyon Kernow, and found it difficult on each occasion to promote a “Kernow-centric” political discourse for Cornwall.

Predictably, I will bemoan that state broadcasters do not recognise Cornwall as a national unit and, to get a political broadcast on television, MK would need to stand candidates in one sixth of the seats in “England” – namely all six in Cornwall plus an additional 85 elsewhere. I also remember how, in 2019, my candidacy in St Austell and Newquay generated exactly zero seconds for the Party of Cornwall on television – not the best situation when trying to get your message across!

But one thing I do remember from past campaigns is that candidates (from Westminster parties) for Cornish constituencies had much to say about Cornwall, but party headquarters were largely silent on the needs of communities to the west of the Tamar. If anyone reviews the 2019 General Election manifestos from the Conservative and Labour parties – which contained numerous commitments for Scotland and Wales – they will find zero mentions of Cornwall. There was a single mention in the Lib Dem policy document, through this sadly mixed up devolution with local government arrangements!

At this point, I do not know whether there will be MK candidates at the 2024 General Election. At our recent Conference, we agreed that the priority remains next year’s Cornwall Council elections, but that local constituencies could put forward a parliamentary candidate if that is the wish of members. There will be discussions in the coming weeks.

But regardless of MK’s preferred approach to the General Election, now is surely the time to put pressure on the Westminster parties to actually commit to some specific manifesto commitments for Cornwall.