Editing Cornwall (section)

==Politics and administration==
{{Main|Politics of Cornwall}}

===Cornish national identity===
{{Further|Cornish nationalism}}
[[File:Cornish National Identity 2011 Census.png|thumb|The percentage of respondents who gave "Cornish" as an answer to the National Identity question in the 2011 census]] Cornwall is recognised by Cornish and Celtic political groups as one of six Celtic nations, alongside [[Brittany]], Ireland, the [[Isle of Man]], Scotland and Wales.<ref name="Teverson">{{cite web |title=Lords Hansard Text for 25 Jan 2011 (pt002) |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/110125-0002.htm#11012574000133 |access-date=8 February 2011 |publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] |date=25 January 2011 |quote=Cornwall sees itself as the fourth Celtic nation of the United Kingdom; [[Robin Teverson, Baron Teverson|Lord Teverson]] |work=[[Hansard]] |archive-date=21 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121214151/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/110125-0002.htm#11012574000133 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Mebyon Kernow 1">{{cite web |title=Mebyon Kernow – The Party for Cornwall – BETA |url=http://www.mebyonkernow.org/?q=policies_historic_celtic_nation |access-date=8 February 2011 |publisher=[[Mebyon Kernow]] |year=2007 |work=[[Mebyon Kernow]] website |archive-date=28 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928063542/https://www.mebyonkernow.org/?q=policies_historic_celtic_nation |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="League 1">{{cite web |title=The Celtic League |url=http://www.celticleague.net/ |access-date=8 February 2011 |publisher=[[Celtic League (political organisation)|Celtic League]] |year=2011 |work=[[Celtic League (political organisation)|Celtic League]] website |archive-date=21 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421234455/https://www.celticleague.net/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Celtic Congress 1">{{cite web |url=http://www.celtic-congress.org/cc-home-en.html |title=The International Celtic Congress |publisher=[[Celtic Congress|International Celtic Congress]] |year=2009 |access-date=16 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725152111/http://www.celtic-congress.org/cc-home-en.html |archive-date=25 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (The [[Isle of Man Government]] and the [[Welsh Government]] also recognise [[Asturias]] and [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]].<ref name="Welsh Government 1">{{cite web|title=Welsh Government: Minister in Paris for launch of Celtic festival |url=http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/localgovernment/2002/4038001/?lang=en |date=14 March 2002 |publisher=[[Welsh Government]] |access-date=8 February 2011 |work=[[Welsh Government]] website |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310213206/https://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/localgovernment/2002/4038001/?lang=en |archive-date=10 March 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Vannin 1">{{cite web |title=Isle of Man Post Office Website |url=http://www.gov.im/post/stamps/FutureIssue.aspx?categoryid=164 |access-date=8 February 2011 |publisher=[[Isle of Man Government]] |year=2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802020158/http://www.gov.im/post/stamps/FutureIssue.aspx?categoryid=164 |archive-date=2 August 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>) Cornwall is represented, as one of the Celtic nations, at the ''[[Festival Interceltique de Lorient]]'', an annual celebration of Celtic culture held in Brittany.<ref name="Festival 1">{{cite web
 |title=Site Officiel du Festival Interceltique de Lorient
 |url=http://www.festival-interceltique.com/le-monde-des-celtes-et-de-la-celtie.php
 |access-date=8 February 2011
|publisher=[[Festival Interceltique de Lorient]]
 |date=4 February 2011
|work=[[Festival Interceltique de Lorient]] website
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305062016/http://www.festival-interceltique.com/le-monde-des-celtes-et-de-la-celtie.php
 |archive-date=5 March 2010
}}</ref>

Cornwall Council consider Cornwall's unique cultural heritage and distinctiveness to be one of the area's major assets. They see Cornwall's language, landscape, Celtic identity, political history, patterns of settlement, maritime tradition, industrial heritage, and non-conformist tradition, to be among the features making up its "distinctive" culture.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cornwall Council – part three |url=http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=14923 |access-date=10 February 2011 |publisher=[[Cornwall Council]] |date=18 March 2010 |work=[[Cornwall Council]] website |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528145208/https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=14923 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, it is uncertain exactly how many of the people living in Cornwall consider themselves to be Cornish; results from different surveys (including the national census) have varied. In the [[2001 United Kingdom census|2001 census]], 7 per cent of people in Cornwall identified themselves as Cornish, rather than British or English. However, activists have argued that this underestimated the true number as there was no explicit "Cornish" option included in the official census form.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-cornish-they-revolted-in-1497-now-theyre-at-it-again-1782535.html|title=The Cornish: they revolted in 1497, now they're at it again|last=Dugan|first=Emily|date=6 September 2009|publisher=Independent (The)|access-date=14 July 2010|location=London|archive-date=19 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819072618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-cornish-they-revolted-in-1497-now-theyre-at-it-again-1782535.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequent surveys have suggested that as many as 44 per cent identify as Cornish.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3527673.stm|title=Welsh are more patriotic|date=3 March 2004|publisher=BBC|access-date=14 July 2010|archive-date=14 March 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314051604/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3527673.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Many people in Cornwall say that this issue would be resolved if a Cornish option became available on the census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-questionnaire-content/recommended-questions---national-identity.pdf|title=Information paper: Recommended questions for the 2009 Census Rehearsal and 2011 Census: National Identity|publisher=Office for National Statistics|page=32|date=December 2008|access-date=13 May 2009|archive-date=2 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302152351/http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-questionnaire-content/recommended-questions---national-identity.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The question and content recommendations for the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]] provided an explanation of the process of selecting an ethnic identity which is relevant to the understanding of the often quoted figure of 37,000 who claimed Cornish identity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-questionnaire-content/question-and-content-recommendations-for-2011/ethnic-group-prioritisation-tool.pdf|title=2011 Census; 2011 census questionnaire content; question and content recommendations for 2011; ethnic group prioritisation tool|pages=20–22|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=15 July 2010|archive-date=10 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110152326/http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-questionnaire-content/question-and-content-recommendations-for-2011/ethnic-group-prioritisation-tool.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]] found that 17% of people in Cornwall identified as being Cornish (89,000), with 14% of people in Cornwall identifying as Cornish-only (80,000).<ref name ="Over 100,000 people identify as Cornish in latest census">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-30 |title=Over 100,000 people identify as Cornish in latest census |language=en-GB |work=Cornwall Live |url=https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/nearly-100000-people-identify-cornish-7875032 |access-date=2022-12-06}}</ref> Again there was no tick-box provided, and "Cornish" had to be written-in as "Other".<ref name ="Over 100,000 people identify as Cornish in latest census"/><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-12-02 |title=ONS update: 108,860 wrote "Cornish" on 2021 census |language=en-GB |work=[[Mebyon Kernow]] website |url=https://mebyonkernow.org/news/ons-update-108860-wrote-cornish-on-2021-census/|access-date=2022-12-08}}</ref>

On 24 April 2014 it was announced that Cornish people have been granted minority status under the [[European Union|European]] [[Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities]].<ref name="bbc minority status">{{Cite news |title=Cornish people granted minority status within UK |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-27132035 |url-status=live |access-date=24 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424071554/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-27132035 |archive-date=24 April 2014}}</ref>

===Local politics===
{{See also|List of electoral divisions and wards in Cornwall}}<!-- Commenting out image while there are questions about its accuracy [[File:Cornwall Council Electoral Divisions Map.PNG|thumb|Cornwall Council electoral divisions by political control, 2012{{clarify|which colour represents which party?|date=January 2013}}]] -->
[[File:New County Hall.jpg|thumb|[[Cornwall Council]]'s headquarters in [[Truro]]]]
[[File:CornwallConstituencies2010.gif|thumb|From the 2010 general election, Cornwall has had six parliamentary constituencies.]]
The [[ceremonial county]] of Cornwall is made up of two local government districts; mainland Cornwall, governed by [[Cornwall Council]], and the [[Isles of Scilly]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Cornwall Lieutenancy: Role and Responsibilities of the Lord-Lieutenant | url = https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/cornwall-lieutenancy/#roles | publisher = Cornwall Council | access-date = 12 September 2017 | archive-date = 12 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170912144626/https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/cornwall-lieutenancy/#roles | url-status = live }}</ref> Cornwall Council, formerly ''Cornwall County Council'' until 2009, is a [[unitary authority]] based at [[Lys Kernow]] in [[Truro]]. The Isles of Scilly are governed by the ''[[sui generis]]'' [[Council of the Isles of Scilly]] based in [[Hugh Town]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Cornwall (Structural Change) Order 2008, part 2 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/491/part/2/made |access-date=21 June 2023 |website=legislation.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Contact us {{!}} Council of the ISLES OF SCILLY |url=https://scilly.gov.uk/contact-us |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=scilly.gov.uk}}</ref> and have been administered by their own unitary authority since 1890. They are grouped with Cornwall for other administrative purposes, such as the [[National Health Service (England)|National Health Service]] and [[Devon and Cornwall Constabulary|Devon and Cornwall Police]].<ref name=iosuatt>{{cite web | title = Isles of Scilly; Cornwall through time | url = http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10076742&c_id=10171878 | publisher = visionofbritain.org.uk | access-date = 19 January 2007 | archive-date = 6 May 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070506230430/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10076742&c_id=10171878 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=iosrdtt>{{cite web|title=Isles of Scilly RD; Cornwall through time |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10026210&c_id=10001043 |publisher=visionofbritain.org.uk |access-date=19 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070506230150/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10026210&c_id=10001043 |archive-date=6 May 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/AboutUs/Pages/Aboutyourlocalpolice.aspx |title=About your local police |access-date=23 September 2009 |publisher=[[Devon and Cornwall Constabulary|Devon and Cornwall Police]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007202640/http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/AboutUs/Pages/Aboutyourlocalpolice.aspx |archive-date=7 October 2009 }}</ref> [[Truro Crown Court|The county's Crown Court]] is based at the Courts of Justice in Truro. Magistrates' Courts are found in Truro (but at a different location to the Crown Court) and at [[Bodmin]].

Cornwall County Council was established in 1889 under the [[Local Government Act 1888]], and the [[Local Government Act 1972]] reorganised the county's second tier of administration with the formation of six district councils: [[Caradon]], [[Carrick, Cornwall|Carrick]], [[Kerrier]], [[North Cornwall]], [[Penwith]], and [[Restormel]]. In 2009, [[2009 structural changes to local government in England|structural changes to local government in England]] resulted in the abolition of the six district councils and turned Cornwall Council into a unitary authority. While projected to streamline services, cut [[red tape]] and save around £17&nbsp;million a year, the reorganisation was met with wide opposition, with a poll in 2008 showing 89% disapproval from Cornish residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=37570 |title=One Cornwall – A unified council for Cornwall |publisher=Cornwall County Council |access-date=22 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501144913/http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=37570 |archive-date=1 May 2008 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.onecornwall.cornwall.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=44400] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011004253/http://www.onecornwall.cornwall.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=44400|date=11 October 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| publisher = BBC| title = Cornwall super-council go-ahead| date = 25 July 2007| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6914947.stm| access-date = 25 July 2007| archive-date = 19 May 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090519214839/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6914947.stm| url-status = live}}</ref>

The [[2009 Cornwall Council election|first elections]] for the unitary authority were held on 4 June 2009. At the [[2021 Cornwall Council election|most recent council election in 2021]], the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] won 47 of the 87 seats. Also elected were 16 [[independent politician|independent]] councillors, 13 [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]], five from the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], five from [[Mebyon Kernow]] and one [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]] representative. Before the creation of the unitary council, the former county council had 82 seats, the majority of which were held by the Liberal Democrats, elected at the [[2005 United Kingdom local elections|2005 county council elections]]. The six former districts had a total of 249 council seats, and the groups with greatest numbers of councillors were Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Independents.

===Parliament and national politics===
{{Main|List of parliamentary constituencies in Cornwall}}
Until 1832, Cornwall was represented by 44 [[Member of Parliament (UK)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs) in the [[House of Commons (UK)|House of Commons]]—more than any other county—reflecting the importance of tin mining to the Crown.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba31/ba31regs.html |title=British Archaeology, no 30, December 1997: Letters |publisher=Britarch.ac.uk |access-date=25 September 2010 |archive-date=13 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213215034/http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba31/ba31regs.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of the increase in numbers of MPs came between 1529 and 1584 after which there was no change until the [[Reform Act 1832]],<ref>[[A. L. Rowse|Rowse, A. L.]] (1941) ''Tudor Cornwall''. London: Cape; pp. 91–94</ref> which enacted widespread changes to the country's [[electoral system]] and reduced Cornwall's number of MPs to 14. This was reduced further in subsequent [[Boundary commissions (United Kingdom)|boundary commission]] reviews to better reflect Cornwall's population. The county is currently divided into [[List of Parliamentary constituencies in Cornwall|six county constituencies]].

The [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] and its successor, the Liberal Democrats, have traditionally been popular in Cornwall; the Liberals won every Cornish seat in [[1906 United Kingdom general election|1906]] and [[January 1910 United Kingdom general election|January 1910]], and again in [[1929 United Kingdom general election|1929]] despite the party finishing third nationally. The Liberal Democrats won every seat in the county in [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005]], but lost seats to the Conservatives in [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]] before being wiped out in [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]]. The Conservatives won all six Cornish seats in 2015, [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017]] and [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019]]. Following expectation of a Conservative defeat at the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], Cornwall was considered a three-party battleground.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-15 |title=Camborne and Redruth: Battle lines drawn in key Cornish seat |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crggdljwgrno |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Conservatives lost all six seats and the county is currently represented by four Labour and two Liberal Democrat MPs.

Although Cornwall does not have a designated government department, in 2007 while [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]] David Cameron created a Shadow Secretary of State for Cornwall. The position was not made into a formal UK Cabinet position when Cameron entered government following the [[2010 United Kingdom general election]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7948984.stm|title='Fictional minister' prompts row|date=17 March 2009|via=BBC News }}</ref>

{{election table|title=UK general election results in Cornwall}}
|-
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 style=text-align:left; | Party
! colspan=5 | Votes (%)
|-
! 2010
! 2015
! 2017
! 2019
! 2024
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| 24,257 ''(8.6%)''
| 36,235 ''(12.3%)''
| 83,968 ''(26.7%)''
| 74,392 ''(23.1%)''
| '''77,517''' '''''(26.3%)'''''
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| 115,016 ''(40.9%)''
| '''127,079''' '''''(43.1%)'''''
| '''152,428''' '''''(48.4%)'''''
| '''173,117''' '''''(53.7%)'''''
| 76,817 ''(26.1%)''
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}"|
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]]
| '''117,307''' '''''(41.8%)'''''
| 66,056 ''(22.4%)''
| 73,875 ''(23.5%)''
| 62,169 ''(19.3%)''
| 73,691 ''(25.0%)''
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Reform UK}}"|
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Reform UK|Reform]]
|{{Tooltip|n/a|Did not yet exist}}
|{{Tooltip|n/a|Did not yet exist}}
|{{Tooltip|n/a|Did not yet exist}}
|{{Tooltip|n/a|Did not stand}}
| 48,574 ''(16.5%)''
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Green Party of England and Wales}}"|
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green]]
| 3,573 ''(1.3%)''
| 17,241 ''(5.8%)''
| 3,218 ''(1.0%)''
| 7,139 ''(2.2%)''
| 13,778 ''(4.7%)''
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|UKIP}}"|
| style="text-align:left;" | [[UKIP]]
| 13,763 ''(4.9%)''
| 40,785 ''(13.8%)''
| 897 ''(0.3%)''
| {{Tooltip|n/a|Did not stand}}
| 111 ''(0.0%)''
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:#e9e9e9"|
| style="text-align:left;" | Others
| 6,965 ''(2.5%)''
| 7,432 ''(2.5%)''
| 323 ''(0.1%)''
| 5,262 ''(1.6%)''
| 3,740 ''(1.3%)''
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:left;" | Total
! 280,881
! 294,828
! 314,709
! 322,079
! 294,228
|}

===Devolution movement===
{{main|Cornish devolution}}
Cornish nationalists have organised into two political parties: [[Mebyon Kernow]], formed in 1951, and the [[Cornish Nationalist Party]]. In addition to the political parties, there are various interest groups such as the [[Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament]] and the [[Celtic League]]. The Cornish Constitutional Convention was formed in 2000 as a cross-party organisation including representatives from the private, public and voluntary sectors to campaign for the creation of a [[Cornish Assembly]],<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite news |date=11 December 2001 |title=Blair gets Cornish assembly call |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1704112.stm |url-status=live |access-date=22 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702115621/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1704112.stm |archive-date=2 July 2008}}</ref><ref name=ccc>{{cite web |author=Cornish Constitutional Convention |url=http://www.cornishassembly.org/about.htm |title=Campaign for a Cornish Assembly – Senedh Kernow |publisher=Cornishassembly.org |date=3 April 2005 |access-date=25 September 2010 |archive-date=23 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140823151946/http://cornishassembly.org/about.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> along the lines of the [[National Assembly for Wales]], [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] and the [[Scottish Parliament]]. Between 5 March 2000 and December 2001, the campaign collected the signatures of 41,650 Cornish residents endorsing the call for a devolved assembly, along with 8,896 signatories from outside Cornwall. The resulting petition was presented to the Prime Minister, [[Tony Blair]].<ref name="autogenerated1" />