The G7 and "levelling up"?

Prominent Cornish politicians and public figures have been queuing up to rejoice at the news that the next G7 summit of world leaders will take place in Carbis Bay in June. The leader of Cornwall Council, Julian German, has declared that he wants to ensure there is a “lasting legacy” to the west of the Tamar, while the Prime Minster has suggested that the event will “showcase” Cornwall to the world.

From my perspective, I fear that West Cornwall will simply be a pretty background for the talks, and there will be little focus on the reality of modern Cornwall.

As the political commentator Bernard Deacon has said: “Swarms of journalists will descend from across the globe eager for copy. But will all they devour be the same stale old imagery of Cornwall as just a tourist destination? Can Cornwall be presented as more than a picturesque backdrop?”

I sincerely hope the summit is a success and meaningful progress is made to tackle climate change and other global ills. But there is much to be concerned about – not least that we are still in the teeth of a worldwide pandemic.

At the last G7 in France, more than 13,000 people officers, plus military personnel, were used to deal with protestors and the Assistant Chief Constable of the Devon and Cornwall Police, Glen Mayhew, has said that “it will be the biggest security operation” ever undertaken by the force.

It has been well-documented that the cost of past summits in the UK have not been fully met by central government, and it cannot be right that Cornish taxpayers may have to meet a significant element of the cost of the summit in these very straightened times.

It has also been proffered that the economic benefits of the event to Cornwall would be £50 million, with suggestions that this is part of the UK Government’s new “levelling-up agenda.” But it is most certainly not part of any strategic attempt to combat the economic inequality that plagues the United Kingdom.

The Prime Minister has just set up a “Build Back Better Council” of business leaders, which he says is about “levelling up opportunity for people and businesses across the UK.”

It has been reported that there are 30 members on the Council, of which 22 are based in London. I understand that three others are based in towns just outside the UK capital, two in the Midlands, one in Cambridge, one in the north and one in Scotland. Apart from being London dominated, isn’t it telling that there is no-one from Wales, Northern Ireland or Cornwall?

[This was my article in this week's Cornish Guardian.]