This week, on Tuesday and Thursday, peers in the House of Lords have been debating aspects of the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill through a Committee Stage.
Paul Tyler, a Liberal Democrat who was previously MP for North Cornwall, has tabled what we understand to be a “probing amendment” on this matter. It will lead to a discussion about the need to “Keep Cornwall Whole” though inevitably there will not be a vote.
The amendment has also been sponsored by Lord Teverson and Baroness Jolly, plus former Conservative Minister Lord Bourne; and it will be debated on Tuesday 15th September.
It is my hope that a more meaningful amendment can be produced and taken forward to the next part of the legislative process – Report Stage – for a formal vote.
I have been lobbying peers involved with the Committee Stage.
I fully accept that Cornwall will continue to have six constituencies wholly within its boundaries (including the Isles of Scilly) after the upcoming review. But I fear that this will not be the case in future reviews (happening every eight years or so).
Projections from the Office of National Statistics show that Cornwall’s population / electorate is anticipated to rise much faster than the UK as a whole. And because the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill only allows a 5% divergence from the average constituency size – it means that by 2030 it will once again be statistically impossible to deliver parliamentary constituencies and fall wholly within the historic boundaries of Cornwall (and the Isles of Scilly).
We are continuing to lobby peers and MPs to modify the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill to protect Cornwall as an electoral area and ensure that the UK Parliament meets its obligations through the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
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