Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay has today spoken out against the idea of a ‘Devonwall’ constituency in Parliament today.
Speaking in the debate, Steve said:
“In Cornwall the new boundaries that are being proposed will result in a cross border seat with Devon... in Cornwall this is felt very strongly... In 2014 the Government recognised the Cornish as a national minority under the framework convention of the Council of Europe and the government at the time said this would now afford the same recognition to the Cornish as the other Celtic parts of the UK, the Scottish welsh and Irish. And no one would entertain having a cross border seat between Wales and England or Scotland and England, and therefore with the protection the Cornish enjoy under the Framework Convention I believe it is fundamentally wrong that this seat be put forward.”
Steve asked the proposer of the Bill being debated if they would consider, if the Bill proceeds, that the Cornish seats are protected in Cornwall similar to those in Northern Ireland in recognition of the Cornish national minority status.
Speaking after the debate, Steve said:
“I was pleased to again raise the opposition in Cornwall to a so-called ‘Devonwall’ constituency in Parliament today. I will continue to fight these changes for Cornwall to ensure that the people who live in our Duchy have the fairest Parliamentary representation, one that reflects our unique heritage, culture and history as recognised by our minority status, now and in the future.”
To watch Steve’s contribution in full, see the link below:
https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/601745e3-9d18-48f7-b9ce-8085163b3…