PRESS RELEASE : Disappointment at Labour’s “devolution” plans for Cornwall [December 2022]

The press release issued by Mebyon Kernow on 5 December 2022.

Just days after the Conservatives published their weak and inadequate “devolution deal,” the Labour Party has published “A New Britain: Renewing Our Democracy and Rebuilding Our Economy.” It is the report from their “Commission on the UK’s Future.”

Speaking on behalf of Mebyon Kernow, Party Leader Cllr Dick Cole said:

“This new Labour document, which sets out their approach to constitutional change, is a massive disappointment from a Cornish perspective. There is no proposal for a Cornish Parliament. In fact, the document does not mention Cornwall once! Not once!

“Proposals include a ‘Council of the Nations and Regions,’ as well as the replacement of the House of Lords with a new second chamber, which would be called ‘An Assembly of the Nations and Regions.’ Such proposals may be worthy of support, but the nations referenced in the document are England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, while the regions are the English regions (as defined by the UK Government). The nation of Cornwall is invisible in this document.

“At the press conference, it was pointed out that the 12-strong Commission represented “every region and every nation of our country.” Cornwall was not represented. The nearest member of the Commission was the mayor of Bristol!

“Mebyon Kernow will be studying the document in more detail, and making representations during the promised consultation on it.”