Cornwall passes motion calling for nation status

Cornwall Council has passed a motion calling on the Government to formally recognise Cornwall as the fifth nation of the United Kingdom, alongside England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Details: 29.Jul.2025

The motion, brought forward by Cllr Dick Cole, was supported at a Full Council meeting on Tuesday (22 July), with 53 votes in favour, 22 against and two abstentions.

The council will now write to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, and begin cross-party engagement with MPs to build support for Cornwall's recognition.

The leader of the council, Cllr Leigh Frost, said: "A nation isn't just a border or a flag. It's a people. It's a voice. It's shared history and a shared purpose. Cornwall has all of that and more.

"This is not a slogan or a branding exercise. It is a statement of fact and a declaration of intent. We're ready to take our place. We're ready to be heard. And we're ready to shape our future on our own terms."

Cllr Frost said that decisions affecting Cornwall are too often made in Westminster without Cornish voices at the table, and that recent changes to national funding risk leaving Cornwall behind unless its status is recognised and strengthened.

"This is about ensuring Cornwall's future is not decided solely in Whitehall or Westminster, but here, by us, for us," he added.

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Cllr Cole meanwhile highlighted the county's cultural, economic, environmental, linguistic, and social history as reasons for nation status.

The topic has been debated at full council before, with members voting to write to Whitehall to request greater devolution for the county in January 2025.

Cornwall's six MPs have also been making the case for devolution to Cornwall as a stand-alone political unit in Westminster, according to the local authority.

The county has been calling for greater devolution as far back as 2009, when it sought devolved powers and enhanced funding from Government to address the challenges faced by residents and businesses across the Duchy.

A Cornwall Devolution Deal was later agreed in 2015, which represented a significant step forward, "but did not provide all the powers and funding needed to transform Cornwall's prospects socially, economically and environmentally," a council briefing note on Tuesday's motion said.

As part of its continued efforts towards devolution, the council became the first and only local authority to retain 100% Business Rates in 2017.

In 2022, Cornwall agreed in principle a further devolution deal with Whitehall, but ultimately abandoned the agreement due to a requirement to change the council's governance model to a directly elected Mayor.

Adam Carey