MK representation to House of Commons

Posted by on 21 October 2025 News, Press Release
Mebyon Kernow – The Party for Cornwall

Formal response to call for evidence on the “English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill” from Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall

Reason for representation

Mebyon Kernow is seeking devolution for Cornwall, similar to the “Celtic-style” democratic settlements achieved in Wales and Scotland.

This is consistent with the obligations of the UK Government to the Cornish people and Cornwall through the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

It is our contention that the UK Government is failing to meet its duties to the Cornish people and Cornwall with regard to the Convention. In particular, this relates to the ongoing failure to treat Cornwall as a political unit in its own right and the failure to deliver devolution as enjoyed in the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom.

Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

On 24th April 2014, the UK Government announced that the Cornish would be recognised as a national minority through the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

The official government press release stated: “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 very significant commitment from the UK state towards the Cornish nation, covering language, culture, heritage, education, territorial integrity, politics and public life.

In a response to Perran Moon MP on 5th March 2025, the Prime Minister wished everyone in Cornwall a “very happy St Piran’s Day,” adding that “we do recognise Cornish national minority status – not just the proud language, history and culture of Cornwall, but its bright future.”

But sadly, over the last 11 years, the UK Government has manifestly failed to meet its obligations with regard to the Framework Convention and Cornwall has not achieved the promised parity with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom.

Cornwall and devolution

We would request that MPs view the various cycle reports published by the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, which have raised significant concerns about the UK Government’s approach to the Cornish and Cornwall. See: https://www.coe.int/en/web/minorities/united-kingdom

Mebyon Kernow considers that those in Westminster and Whitehall have a blindspot when it comes to Cornish nationhood and the national identity of the Cornish. Many politicians often claim that the UK has “four nations,” while Cornwall remains an invisible nation.

The unitary authority in Cornwall has agreed two “devolution deals” with the UK Government, in 2015 and 2023. But they were not the Celtic-style devolution settlement that would be appropriate for Cornwall. They were simply very limited accommodations between local government and central government. There has been no parity with Wales and Scotland.

It remains our view that Cornwall merits stand-alone legislation that brings forward proper devolution for the people to the west of the Tamar. Cornwall merits full parity with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom in terms of democratic and public institutions that underpin support for all aspects of life in our future Cornwall.

Very importantly, devolution for Cornwall would play a critical role in unlocking Cornish solutions to the unique socio-economic challenges faced by our communities. It would be a catalyst to bring forward bespoke solutions to deliver sustainable economic growth.

In terms of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill [and the White Paper which preceded it], the legislation promotes the creation of mayoral strategic authorities and the Bill would breach the UK Government’s obligations in the Framework Convention because the legislation could be used to force Cornwall into cross-border arrangements that would further undermine the territorial integrity of the historic nation of Cornwall.

We would ask that MPs taking part in the committee stage of the Bill:

  • Ensure that the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill does not apply within Cornwall, and
  • Ensure that bespoke legislation is brought forward for a Cornish Devolution Bill.

We would commend our proposal for greater self-government for Cornwall. It also addresses Cornwall’s unique constitutional position. The document can be viewed at: https://mebyonkernow.org/towards-a-cornish-parliament/

Public support for Cornish devolution

On St Piran’s Day 2000, MK launched the Declaration for a Cornish Assembly campaign. The declaration stated the following:

Cornwall is a nation with its own identity, culture, traditions and history – it also suffers severe and unique economic problems. Important decisions about our future are increasingly taken outside of Cornwall and such decisions are often inappropriate or even contrary to the needs of our local communities. Scotland now has its own Parliament and Wales its own Assembly – but Cornwall has been ignored. We had the artificial “south west” region foisted upon us. We, the People of Cornwall, must have a greater say in how we are governed. We need a Cornish Assembly that can set the right democratic priorities for Cornwall and provide a stronger voice for our communities in Britain, in Europe and throughout the wider World.

Over a period of 18 months, a total of 50,546 individual declarations were collected, equating to more than 10% of the Cornish electorate. The declarations were presented to 10 Downing Street on 12th December 2001. This remains a significant and serious statement of intent from the people of Cornwall.

A wide range of politicians in Cornwall continue to come together to demand greater recognition for Cornwall and a meaningful devolution settlement

Following the election of the Labour Government at the 2024 General Election, the five group leaders [Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Independent and Mebyon Kernow/Green Party] on Cornwall Council wrote to the Prime Minister with a request that Cornwall be represented on the proposed Council of the Nations and Regions. The letter stated:

The rationale for this request is based on the fact that, like the Welsh, Scottish and Irish, the Cornish people and the language are recognised and protected by virtue of two Council of Europe treaties. The first of those is the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorites and the second being the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. This legal recognition defines Cornwall as a nation by virtue of having a distinct language, history, ethnicity, culture, society and territory … [we are] firmly of the view that Cornwall warrants self-representation on the Council and acceding to this request would fulfil your “Change” manifesto commitment to “ensure representation on the Council from all nations and regions.”

A second letter was sent to the UK Government in September 2024, which sought a deep devolution settlement on a Cornwall-only footprint. It was signed by all group leaders on the unitary authority and also all six Cornish MPs. It included the following statement:

We are now seeking a much broader and deeper devolution settlement enshrined in law that reflects the status Cornwall shares with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in all areas of economic, social, political and cultural life …

As the MPs have already requested, we would welcome the opportunity of a conversation with you to convey a sense of our proposals … we want you to know that Cornwall is ready, willing and able to participate in the Government’s “new wave of devolution” in its own right, as opposed to any suggestion of a combined authority that stretches across the Tamar.

More recently, in July 2025, councillors overwhelmingly backed the following cross-party motion, which sought greater recognition of Cornish nationhood and a meaningful devolution settlement:

This Council:

  • Notes that, in January, the Members of this authority overwhelmingly backed a motion seeking meaningful devolution for Cornwall.
  • Notes that the “English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill” has been published.
  • Reaffirms its call for a meaningful devolution settlement for Cornwall.
  • Calls for this devolution settlement to properly reflect Cornwall’s national identity and the national minority status of the Cornish.
  • Calls for central government to formally recognise Cornwall as one of the five nations of the United Kingdom.
  • Mandates the Leader of Cornwall Council to write to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and other relevant ministers to seek a meeting with a cross-party delegation from this authority.

The motion was passed by 53 votes to 22. It was supported by all councillors from the Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Mebyon Kernow groups, and all independent councillors – bar one! Two Reform councillors voted in favour. Two Reform members abstained and 21 voted against.

We would sincerely request that MPs will support these representations from the people of Cornwall and their representatives.

Appendix

In order to give wider context to our representations about the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, its significance for the Cornish and the extent of governmental non-compliance with the duties in the treaty, we would like to bring the below list of non-compliance to the attention of MPs.

The list is not an exhaustive:

Framework Convention: examples of non-compliance in terms of recognition and political issues

  • Cornwall is the only Celtic nation on the British Isles that does not have official representation on the British and Irish Council.
  • Cornwall is also the only Celtic nation in the UK not represented on the Council of the Nations and Regions.
  • The UK Government continues to refuse to treat Cornwall as one of the component nations of the United Kingdom. Indeed, it regularly promotes the concept of a “SW England region,” stretching from the Isles of Scilly to Wiltshire, or the “Great South West” entity, or a “Devon and Cornwall” unit, that undermines the territorial integrity of Cornwall. Such border-blurring would not be acceptable to, for example, Scotland or Wales.
  • In 2020, the Parliamentary Constituencies Act was passed. The legislation protected Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales as electoral territories for the provision of Westminster seats, but failed to extend the same provision to Cornwall. As a consequence, there is a strong likelihood that future reviews of seats will generate one or more cross-Tamar “Devonwall” constituencies.
  • The Office of National Statistics and the UK Government refused to allow a Cornish tick-box option for the national identity section in the “England and Wales” census in 2021. The Cornish were the only “national minority” without a tick-box. It is important to note that a total of 117,350 people “wrote-in” Cornish, which included 103,230 individuals within Cornwall (18.1% of the population). This really does emphasise the depth of the national identity of Cornish people. By comparison, in the 2001 census (the last one in which there was no “Welsh” tickbox), 14% of the population of Wales wrote in their nationality as “Welsh.”
  • Linked to the above bullet-point, the UK Government and a large number of public bodies / organisations do not collect data on the Cornish, when they do that for other national minorities.

Framework Convention: examples of non-compliance in terms of language / cultural issues

  • In 2002, the UK Government acknowledged that the Cornish language was covered by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2002. But Cornish has not achieved language parity with the other Celtic languages of the UK. Cornish is only recognised under Part II of the Charter, while Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh are recognised under Part III, which has a more comprehensive and far-reaching set of obligations.
  • Cornish is the only Celtic language in the United Kingdom without safeguards embedded in domestic law. The first Welsh Language Act was passed in 1967 and a second one in 1993, while further legislation has been passed by the National Assembly of Wales / Welsh Parliament. The Scottish Gaelic Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2005. It is also noteworthy that the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act, covering both Irish and Ulster Scots, completed its passage through parliamentary process in 2023.
  • Central government is failing to provide year-on-year funding to support the Cornish language. Annual funding for the language was provided from 2010, but this ended in 2016 – just two years after the UK Government agreed that the Cornish were covered by the Framework Convention. There have since been two one-off funding awards for culture and heritage following a (i) “national minority” summit hosted by Cornwall Council and the (ii) agreement of a so-called “devolution deal” in 2023. This continues to be inadequate to plan for the future of the language.
  • In 2016, the BBC Charter was published. It contained commitments to broadcasting in the “regional and minority languages of the UK.” But the languages were specifically defined as “Welsh, Scottish-Gaelic, Irish and Ulster Scots.” Decision-makers had consciously and deliberately excluded the Cornish language from broadcasting support.
  • We acknowledge that the Media Act agreed in 2024 did have a revised definition of “regional and minority languages of the UK” which included Cornish. But the legislation doesn’t specify that broadcasters need to provide material in all languages, and there has been no new Cornish language televisual material broadcast via mainstream media in the last 15 months.
  • The new British passport was launched in 2020 and symbolically included text from three of the UK’s four Celtic languages – Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish – but there is no Cornish. This is mirrored in the recent announcement that all new passports will now include images of natural landscapes from “all four UK nations.” Once again, the Cornish nation is excluded.
  • The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has working towards implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Government is planning to “establish a UK inventory of intangible cultural heritage” but the DCMS states that this will be done by “representatives of the four UK nations” and representatives of Cornwall will be excluded.