The Labour government has shown that it is willing to break with orthodoxy by putting people into ministerial positions that they are eminently suitable for, such as James Timpson as prisons minister or Patrick Vallance as science minister. This should benefit the UK as a whole, and after the chaos of the last number of years, a new government with new ideas was desperately needed.
But will the Labour government support greater recognition of Cornish identity and culture? Here, the picture may not be so rosy.
The Labour Party has made it very clear where they stand. Every piece of party literature has a Union flag on it. Minsters pose next to Union flags. The message is clear: We are a Unionist party. Would it seem likely that Labour would support meaningful devolution to a Cornish parliament? Very unlikely, the rightwing press would deliberately misinterpret this as the first steps to Cornish independence and manufacture outrage about Labour breaking up the Union. Not the sort of image that Labour’s unionist credentials need.
Also, there is the small matter that Cornwall may produce much of the minerals and metals that the UK needs for the growing green technology sector, meaning that Cornwall could become very important to both UK security and financial well-being. It may not seem the smartest move in Labour circles to open negotiations to cede powers to a Cornish parliament.
It is not all gloomy. There will be some devolution to Cornwall. Jayne Kirkham, from the start of her successful campaign, pointed out that there will be devolution in Cornwall, but not quite the devolution we want. It will be a limited deal as part of Labour’s English local authority devolution plan, which would mean no Cornish assembly or parliament. But to be fair to our newly elected Cornish Labour MPs, could we really expect them to go to parliament like all MPs with hopes of political advancement to campaign for a Cornish parliament against their party’s wishes? It would be the equivalent of giving someone a quick hug, then a swift kick in the balls, and a guaranteed way to spend the rest of your career on the back benches.
For these reasons, next year’s council elections will be both crucial and fascinating to watch.
If there is ever to be meaningful devolution in Cornwall, it will be led by the council chamber, as Westminster will find it a lot harder to ignore calls from local government. But who will be the loudest voice in the chamber?
You could have a little sympathy for the ruling Conservatives on the council, watching their party take a hammering from the electorate and knowing that whoever gets elected as their new leader, the party will descend into an internal ideological war that will lead to years of chaos. Hardly the most comforting thought for some Cllrs going into an election. With this going on, will some Conservative Cllrs have a Damascene conversion and find they do loudly support meaningful devolution to Cornwall?
For the ruling Labour Party, there will be little need for or support for devolution to Cornwall, save for a few St. Pirans flags to show local pride. Their campaign will be based solely on their performance at Westminster. The 21 county council and 9 unitary authority elections in May 2025 will be the Labour government’s first test and will be treated as a barometer of the party’s popularity. Labour took four seats in Cornwall, so it will not be surprising if they invest in a strong campaign to take as many seats as they can on Cornwall council. If they can, and it is by no means certain with probable tax rises and a winter of higher fuel prices to get through, are seen to be popular or at least competent and hold party unity together, they could do well in the council elections.
The Lib Dems have stated they want to rebuild their base in what they regard as their heartlands in the West Country. With elections in both Devon and Cornwall next year, it would seem likely that the Lib Dems will want to capitalise on their election success, but outside of Cornwall, does the party have any real interest in supporting meaningful devolution? It would seem unlikely, as the Liberal Democrats make no mention of this in their manifesto.
Mebyon Kernow is the outsider in the race, and it could be argued that their fortunes are closely tied to the Labour Party. The 2024 elections have created one of the most diverse and surprising elections of recent times, with a number of sitting Labour MPs seeing their majority slashed. This shows a deep disaffection with normal Westminster politics. If, over the next ten months, Labour is unable to increase its popularity, then Mebyon Kernow, along with its polar opposite Reform, could be the beneficiaries of a protest vote. Whereas Reform claims to be political disruptors but in reality offers only jingoism and Thatcherite policies wrapped in a cult of personality, Mebyon Kernow, as a left-centre party, can make the claim that they are the only party with their campaign for devolution to Cornwall that offers a truly different approach to the problems affecting Cornwall. Mebyon Kernow stepped back from the general election to concentrate on the council election. They have ten months. Maybe an investment in a marketing campaign to highlight what the party stands for could pay surprising dividends.
Whatever the outcome, the next ten months will be an interesting time for political anoraks in Cornwall.
KernowCalling 