St Piran’s Day

Debate between Perran Moon and Noah Law

Wednesday 4th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

Meur ras, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is a great privilege to stand here today to mark tomorrow’s St Piran’s day 2026, and I am grateful to the Minister for being here. St Piran’s day matters enormously to many people in Cornwall, including those in my Camborne, Redruth and Hayle constituency. As we gather here on the eve of Cornwall’s national day, black and white flags are already being raised across the Duchy and around the world, children are practising traditional dances, and communities are preparing to celebrate their heritage with pride. In the wider Cornish diaspora—stretching from Mexico to California, New York, Toronto, Hong Kong and Australia —St Piran’s day is a 24-hour event, bringing people together in a shared identity that is deeply cherished and increasingly recognised.

St Piran’s day is not merely a date in the calendar; it is a celebration of an important story that binds together Cornish people across the globe. The feast of St Piran honours the patron saint of Cornwall, who is of course also the patron saint of tin miners. His legend begins in fifth-century Ireland, where, so legend goes, he was bound to a millstone and thrown into a stormy sea by jealous local kings, only to float to safety on the shores of Cornwall. Once there, he is said to have discovered tin smelting. As he built a fireplace from black stone, the metal seeped out in the heat—tin flowing from the dark ore.

[Noah Law (St Austell and Newquay) (Lab)]

I am delighted to hear that story, for the first time, of St Piran smelting tin. Does my hon. Friend agree that, if St Piran could have a tin smelter in the fifth century AD, it is not too much of a stretch to imagine we could have one today in Cornwall, and that we would once again smelt tin?

[Perran Moon]

I thank my hon. Friend for his excellent observation. If St Piran can do it, we should be doing it today. I totally agree with him and, in a humorous way, he makes a very valid point.

This simple, powerful image is immortalised in our flag—a white cross on a black background—symbolising not only tin emerging from ore, but light from darkness and hope from hardship. It is a symbol of industry, resilience and Cornish pride. Mining has shaped Cornwall’s destiny, sending Cornishmen and women around the globe with skills in engineering, mining and metalworking. These pioneers have left their footprints of Cornish life far from home, with Cornish pasties in Mexico, Cornish churches in Australia and Cornish customs around the world.

[Perran Moon]

Again, I thank my hon. Friend for making a very important point. I will come on to that point a little later in my speech, but the future for Cornwall is very much around the new industries of the 21st century.

Today, these global connections endure. At the end of last year, I was pleased to host here in Parliament the launch event for Global Cornish, which is a vibrant, growing network reconnecting the Cornish family worldwide through heritage, industry and culture. Cornwall’s story has always been one of outward-looking industry. Today, we celebrate not only who we were, but who we are and who we are becoming.

No discussion of Cornish identity is complete without recognising the enormous step taken last year for the Cornish language—Kernewek. On 5 December, the United Kingdom formally notified the Council of Europe that it was applying part III of the European charter for regional or minority languages to Cornish. This is not symbolic; it is substantial. Part III status requires the Government to deliver 36 specific commitments across education, justice, public administration, culture, media and economic life. It means recognition, for the first time, that Cornish is not simply a cultural artefact, but a living language that deserves support, a nurturing framework and proper institutional backing. These commitments matter. They will shape the next generation’s access to Cornish in schools, the visibility of the language in public life, and the availability of media and cultural resources that are free to access to learn Kernewek. They also come with obligations that the Government must meet. I have written to the Prime Minister to request that this commitment is matched by delivery. The revival of Kernewek in recent decades is one of the great cultural stories of this island, but we should be ambitious. Language is not merely something to preserve; it is something to promote, celebrate and embed for future generations.

When we talk about the future of Cornwall we must, alas, talk about devolution. Cornwall is a mature, stable unitary authority with deep experience of strategic planning, economic development and cultural engagement. It must be treated as a single strategic authority with the same powers available to a mayoral combined authority.

[Noah Law]

Does my hon. Friend agree that Cornwall is not just a proud Celtic nation, but also a functional economic geography in its own right?

[Perran Moon]

Yes, from anyone looking at the map and seeing that we are surrounded by sea on three sides, to the origin of the name “Cornwall”—“foreigners at the end of the peninsula”—it is very clear where our cultural heritage lies.

My objective on devolution is clear: bold, flexible and meaningful powers that strengthen our communities and allow Cornwall to overcome many of the challenges that we face, as well as exploiting the huge opportunities ahead of us. This is not devolution simply to fill a point on a map. It is devolution for housing, transport, economic development and the cultural wellbeing of our people. It must recognise Cornwall’s unique geography—which my hon. Friend has just mentioned—culture and economy, and not force us into a model designed for English metropolitan areas with a completely different set of characteristics. It must be a bespoke devolution arrangement for Cornwall.

The reason behind that is that the Cornish are the only people in the UK with national minority status who do not yet have access to the highest levels of devolution. This is our moment to deliver powers and funding to Cornish communities for the Cornish economy to flourish. It is not a case of special treatment; it is a case of fair treatment which respects our national minority status.

Of course, these constitutional and cultural issues matter because they shape outcomes. They shape lives. Cornwall is a beautiful place, but anyone who represents Cornwall—or indeed lives there—knows that behind the postcard image lies a humble but brutal truth. The “Pretty Poverty Report” published last year sets this out with clarity and compassion. It describes the inland deprivation that hides in plain sight: low pay, seasonal work, insecure housing, fragile transport links and limited access to essential services. This is why an English metropolitan devolution arrangement will not cut it in Cornwall, I am afraid. The realities of life in Cornwall are found in the stories we hear every week: families priced out of their own communities; people commuting impossible distances, because local wages simply cannot cover the cost of rents; young people leaving the duchy, because opportunities are too few and housing too scarce; and costly public services that are barely fit for purpose. But Cornwall does not wear its hardship on its sleeve. It is not always visible. And that is precisely the problem.

Government tools, including the indices of multiple deprivation, still fail to adequately capture coastal deprivation, rural isolation and seasonal economies. They systematically underestimate the challenges faced by remote coastal communities such as ours. And when you underestimate need, you underfund solutions. The Government’s fair funding review, and specifically the remoteness adjustment included last summer, is a step in the right direction. The Treasury’s Green Book review was also welcome, recognising that national investment decisions have historically undervalued place-based need. But those steps can only be the beginning. The message from the “Pretty Poverty Report” is clear: we need more accurate measures, more responsive funding mechanisms and more sustained investment.

[Noah Law]

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way again. I welcome his statement on the Green Book review. It is really important that we get infrastructure investment in place. Does he agree with me that the Labour Government are already doing an awful lot, whether that is record funding for roads or the record local government funding settlement—not that we would know it from some of the comments from the council? Does he agree that the Labour Government are already doing a huge amount by way of investment in Cornwall?

[Perran Moon]

My hon. Friend again makes very valid points, some of which I will be coming to a little later. The Labour Government are investing in Cornwall, which is why it is so important to get the basics right. For me, so many of our challenges come back to housing.

The stories in the “Pretty Poverty Report”—hundreds of families competing for a handful of rentals, communities hollowed out by affordability pressures and key workers unable to live near their place of work—mirror exactly what I hear at my surgeries and on the doorstep. Housing, and the infrastructure required to support it, is the single greatest threat to Cornwall’s future. Unless we address it, every other challenge becomes much harder. That is why Cornwall needs a strategic place partnership with Homes England.

Linked to those pressures is public transport—another area where our national systems were never designed for a duchy at the end of a long peninsula. Transport poverty is real: research shows it is one of the largest drivers pushing rural households into hardship. In Cornwall, car ownership is not a luxury but a lifeline. Without a car, many people cannot access work, healthcare or education, or even get to the nearest affordable shop. In Westminster’s funding models, car ownership is seen as a sign of affluence, largely because in many metropolitan areas public transport connectivity is such that residents simply do not need a car, but that not the case in Cornwall. When First Bus withdrew from Cornwall, citing financial pressures and the commercial unviability of rural routes, it reinforced what we have been saying for years: rural transport cannot be run on a purely commercial footing.

Rail links out of the duchy are similarly strained, with weather-linked delays frequent and connections unreliable. During moments of crisis, such as Storm Goretti on 8 January, when winds reached 111 mph, ripping roofs from buildings and uprooting trees, the weaknesses of our network are brutally exposed. As my hon. Friend the Member for St Austell and Newquay (Noah Law) said, this Government have invested more than £100 million into Cornish businesses; if they want the Cornish economy to grow and Cornish people to work, learn and thrive, they must ensure that Cornwall, as a remote coastal community, is not left behind.

However, alongside those challenges lie extraordinary opportunities. Cornwall is at the forefront of some of the most exciting and strategically important sectors in the UK economy: critical minerals, renewable energy, maritime and space, agrifood and geothermal innovation. We celebrate £25 million invested into South Crofty to bring tin mining back and £31 million into Cornish Lithium to support the transition to a clean energy economy. The UK’s first geothermal power plant was switched on just last Thursday, generating clean electricity 24 hours a day for 10,000 homes. This comes alongside new production of lithium carbonate, which is vital for battery manufacturing. We must also celebrate the £30 million Kernow industrial growth fund that the Chancellor announced in the Budget, investing to unlock industrial growth.

Cornwall is not just part of the UK’s clean energy transition; the Cornish Celtic tiger is leading it. With geothermal heat, geothermal power, critical minerals, modern mining, space technology, offshore renewables, high-value agrifood and floating offshore wind, Cornwall is at the cutting edge.

Tomorrow, people from Sennen to Saltash will proudly wave the black and white of our flag, children will learn the story of St Piran and communities will celebrate the spirit that has carried Cornwall through centuries of change. St Piran’s day is a celebration of not only our past, but our future; a future where Cornwall’s identity is recognised, our language supported, our economy empowered, our transport strengthened, our housing crisis addressed and our communities given the powers to shape our own future. Gool Peran Lowen, Madam Deputy Speaker—happy St Piran’s day.

Tolled Crossings and Regional Connectivity

Debate between Perran Moon and Noah Law

Monday 2nd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

I want to make a few short points to expand on a couple of things that have been mentioned. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cornwall (Anna Gelderd) for securing this important debate.

As I have said to several Members, particularly from this part of the world, we are currently closer to Middlesbrough than to my constituency in Camborne. Indeed, when people in this country think about the south-west, they think of Bristol, which is closer to Manchester than to my constituency. That gives an idea of the scale of where we are.

When it comes to the important question of regional connectivity, I gently say to the Minister that, over the last 18 months, the Government have invested over £100 million in Cornish metals, Cornish lithium and, as we have heard, the Kernow industrial growth fund. To maximise the potential of that investment, it is essential that we have the transport infrastructure to support it, including in the Tamar crossing.

[Noah Law]

If we are taking a local growth approach, which I know is so important to our Government, surely a deal for the Tamar must be a crucial part of any devolution arrangement.

[Perran Moon]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Tamar bridge should form part of our needed package of transport support, including mainline rail, upgrades to the A30 and, importantly, a complete review of the funding model for our one regional airport at Newquay, which needs to be considered in the round.

My hon. Friend the Member for South East Cornwall spoke about car ownership in Cornwall. One of the gross distortions of the Westminster funding modelling is that we look at car ownership as an indicator of affluence. In Cornwall, it is quite the opposite. Our public transport systems are so poor that we have one of the highest car ownership rates in the country per capita. The reason is that many people in large swathes of Cornwall—particularly young people who need to get to college, or who need to develop the skills to work in some of the organisations I have mentioned—are completely housebound and isolated if they do not own a car. As my hon. Friend mentioned, it also contributes to the real problems of loneliness and lack of access to social groups, which is important for people’s mental health.

There are wide-ranging issues with the lack of connectivity across Cornwall. That is why it is so important, as the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Ben Maguire) mentioned, that our devolution arrangement considers the implications of our remote coastal geography for business development, for young people and the skills they need, and for the social aspect as our population ages and more young people sadly leave Cornwall because they cannot find work, particularly driven by our acute housing crisis. We need a holistic strategy for the whole of Cornwall, and a very important part of that is the Tamar crossing.

English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill

Debate between Perran Moon and Noah Law

2nd reading
Tuesday 2nd September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Noah Law (St Austell and Newquay) (Lab)]

Few matters have occupied as much of my first year in this House as the question of Cornish devolution. For decades, if not centuries, the people of Cornwall have spoken of their desire to have a greater say in the decisions that shape their lives. That desire is founded in our distinct needs and our more than 1,000-year-old national identity. That is why the arrival of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill has been watched in Cornwall with keen anticipation and, in some quarters, with understandable apprehension.

Having pored over the text of the legislation, my conclusion is this: far from being the bulldozer that many feared, the Bill leaves Cornwall’s position intact. It formalises our single foundation status and—once and for all I hope—a single geography. Crucially, it does not strip away the strategic powers that Cornwall already exercises. Recognition of our national minority status is now firmly acknowledged in this place, and, as one of the largest unitary authorities in England by geographic footprint, we retain the ability to deliver many of the functions that are only just being handed to combined or mayoral bodies elsewhere.

[Perran Moon]

Does my hon. Friend agree that the historic Cornish constitutional status must be considered as part of the devolution discussion?

[Noah Law]

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. On top of the many examples he has given of Cornwall’s constitutional status, and aside from our devolution arrangements with Westminster, the leader of Cornwall council was in 2023 given permission to attend ministerial meetings of the British-Irish Council, much like the other Celtic nations and the Channel Islands. In the same year, Cornwall council and the Welsh Government signed a historic collaboration agreement, reflecting the shared culture of these two Celtic nations.

Perhaps more weightily in this place, the Crowther and Kilbrandon report of the royal commission on the constitution in 1973 acknowledged that the creation of the Duchy of Cornwall in 1337

“established a special and enduring relationship between Cornwall and the Crown. Use of the designation on all appropriate occasions would serve to recognise both this special relationship and the territorial integrity of Cornwall”.

It went on to say that what the Cornish want is

“recognition of the fact that Cornwall has a separate identity and that its traditional boundaries shall be respected.”

Let me be clear: while the letter of the Bill does not necessarily offer the content of devolution that so many in Cornwall have long called for, I have no doubt that it will be very welcome in cities and other regions across England. But Cornwall is different: a remote coastal community, an existing administrative unit, a functional economic geography and a very good brand, if nothing else, as many Members will know from their summer holidays. Above all, Cornwall is a proud part of the United Kingdom with a distinct national identity, a resurgent language and a desire to be heard after centuries of dismissal. With the right powers, we stand ready to not only shape our own future but help lead the way in a United Kingdom that values local voices and unlocks prosperity across all nations and regions.

I greatly welcome the inclusion of new powers such as the community right to buy. That is exactly the sort of measure that can put power back into local hands, giving people in my constituency the chance to ensure that public assets like the Dolphin Inn in Grampound or the sites of the former General Wolfe in St Austell and the Fowey community hospital remain in public hands and continue to serve local needs.

EU Trading Relationship

Debate between Perran Moon and Noah Law

Thursday 24th April 2025 Westminster Hall

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Sir Jeremy, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Andrew Lewin) on securing the debate at such a timely moment for our relationship with the European Union, given this time of global insecurity. As a Cornishman, I would like to highlight concerns raised to me by our fishing industry. Its daily reality is far from the post-Brexit panacea that promised so much and delivered so little to the fishermen in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle.

[Noah Law (St Austell and Newquay) (Lab)]

Given the willingness and readiness of other parties, including one conspicuously absent from this crucial debate, to throw our fish under the bus and make fishing fleets again a political football, will my hon. Friend join me and our hon. Friend the Member for Chelsea and Fulham (Ben Coleman) in calling on our Government to ensure that that will not happen, and that we will, above all, protect employment in our fishing fleets in Mevagissey and elsewhere?

[Perran Moon]

That was a typically perceptive Cornish intervention from my hon. Friend.

This issue affects fishermen not just in my constituency, but elsewhere in Cornwall and across the UK. The Business and Trade Committee’s report on EU relations points out:

“The fruits of the sea around our borders are a part of our shared ecology, and…must be managed carefully to protect the livelihoods of future generations.”

Businesses and livelihoods in fishing communities must not be bargaining chips, as some media outlets are suggesting; they are invaluable elements of local economies that must be protected and strengthened. At the same time, we must make progress toward reducing trade barriers with our trading partners in the EU. The former is crucial to the latter, because the Government’s current and future negotiations have to bring the British people, including our fishing industry, with them. I hope that the Minister will confirm that the Government are working towards a fair deal for our fisheries that will secure their long-term stability.

This is a moment for our Government to provide leadership, which was so severely lacking in the last Government’s half-baked negotiations. Although, as we have heard, larger and higher profile sectors will form the basis of these delicate negotiations, we must not abandon the need to reassure our vital fishing communities and protect fishing stocks.