The people of Cornwall must decide the future of Cornwall.

There is no point in devolution unless it reflects the will of the people that it will empower, as well as demonstrate that it can benefit the people who it is meant to benefit.

There is no point in devolving money to people unless they can see that it will be spent responsibly in a way that reflects their local vision for their local place - that is the true essence of devolution. Our government has set out to initiate a devolution revolution that will shift power away from Westminster and back into our local communities, in order to allow for local people to affect the true change that they want to see and that will truly benefit the people of that community.

I welcome the accountability and decisiveness that Mayoral models can offer over public infrastructure spend, even if a different model is best suited for Cornwall. I welcome the rationalisation of local government in England, even if it is not my place to say how it should take place over the other side of the Tamar.

Cornwall is fortunate that it has done much of the groundwork. If anything, Cornwall Council isn’t lean enough but our position in having a clear Unitary Authority with many of the functions that a devolved government operates already set up is “advantageous.” Any model of devolved government that would be suitable for Cornwall, in my mind, should stay lean in order to truly focus on taxpayer value for money, as well as speaking to the completely unique economic opportunities we have in critical minerals, renewables, and geothermal.

For devolution in Cornwall to be truly successful, it must be equipped to service the truly unique problems that Cornwall faces on all levels, particularly those that national government is unable, or ill-equipped to tackle once and for all.

After months of raising Cornwall’s distinctiveness in Parliament like never before, we’ve been managing to get Cornwall’s voice to cut through to the highest echelons of government, ensuring that, although we may be far from Westminster geographically, we are keenly present for all governmental decisions that may affect Cornwall, as well as well placed to push for the things that would truly allow for Cornwall to live up to its incredible amount of potential for prosperity.

Cornwall is already an existing administrative unit, a functional economic geography, and even a brand - but most of all, it is a small but proud nation with a distinct identity, a resurgent language, and a desire to be heard after centuries of dismissal.

Noah Law

Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay