LETTER FROM GOVERNMENT MINISTER CHLOE SMITH

I recently wrote to the Government Minister responsible for the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill, Chloe Smith. In the same week that MPs failed to move an amendment to Keep Cornwall Whole, I received a very, very disappointing reply from Ms Smith.

It is clear that the Minister does not understand the Government’s obligations to the Cornish and Cornwall. For information, the reply was as follows:

Thank you for your letter of 1 July and for your thoughts on future boundary reviews in Cornwall. Thank you also for submitting written evidence to the public bill committee scrutinising the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill. I note your request that the Government bring forward an amendment to preclude the possibility of a cross-Tamar seat - essentially creating a group of protected constituencies for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - and your linked idea of a Boundary Commission for Cornwall.

As I made clear during the Committee debates on the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill, the Government recognises the distinct culture and heritage of Cornwall and includes Cornwall in its application of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM).

As part of this, under the terms of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML), the Government is committed to recognising regional or minority languages such as Cornish and to supporting action to promote the language’. In 2019, MHCLG provided £200,000 to support a range of Cornish language projects, as well as work to tackle barriers to systematic education provision around Cornish language and culture and build cultural distinctiveness into planning and development decisions.

Whilst the Government celebrates and champions the cultural diversity of all parts of the United Kingdom, we are also committed to ensuring equality for all its citizens irrespective of where they live in the UK. Achieving equal constituencies, and therefore votes that carry equal weight, is an important element of this.

In order to deliver the “updated and equal constituencies” that we committed to in our 2019 Manifesto, it is important that the Boundary Commissions work within a certain tolerance of the UK electoral quota and balance this with the range of other factors that they may take into account, such as geographical features, local government boundaries and community ties.

We appreciate that the proposal, made during the 2016-18 boundary review, to create a constituency that crossed the boundary of Devon and Cornwall was a controversial one. It is important to note that that review was based on 600 constituencies. We cannot prejudge the proposals that will be made by the next boundary review, but under the provisions of the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill, the next review will be based on 650 constituencies and this will give more leeway to the Boundary Commissions and is likely to make the considerations in Cornwall and Devon less challenging.

May I also highlight that the boundary review process includes extensive public consultation (generally 24 weeks over three separate periods) to allow local communities, organisations and individuals to comment and make counter-proposals, and for that feedback to be taken into account. During the 2016-18 boundary review, over 50% of BCE’s initial proposals were adjusted in light of consultation responses and representations.

I hope that the move to retain 650 constituencies, combined with the rigorous and consultative process of the Boundary Commissions, provides some reassurance about the next boundary review. I do not believe that creation of either a separate boundary commission for Cornwall, or a protected group of constituencies for Cornwall, would be advisable. Both would potentially set precedents that could undermine the principle of equal votes and the Government’s manifesto pledge to deliver equal constituencies.