A few of us Cornish MPs were sorry that last week’s St Piran’s Day landed on a Wednesday because it meant we couldn’t be at home celebrating with friends and family. The one advantage of it being a Wednesday was that Prime Minister Keir Starmer could not really refuse my request to ask him in Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) to commit the Labour government to Cornish National Minority status, which he was happy to do.

This year’s celebration was also particularly important: St Piran is also the patron saint of tin mining, and we have seen a resurgence in our tin mining ambitions with the announcement of £57.4-million funding for South Crofty, £28-million of which is from the Treasury’s National Wealth Fund, meaning effectively that South Crofty is 28 per cent nationalised!

Back in Westminster last Wednesday and the Cornish MPs, with the help of our brilliant staff, brought a taste of Cornwall to Westminster with an event that was spread across two adjoining rooms. The day had begun with the hoisting of the flag of St Piran in New Palace Yard, just in front of Big Ben, itself a special moment. We got lucky with the London weather and after PMQs at 2pm we watched an excellent dance performance by some of the youngsters from Hall for Cornwall’s Youth Group in Victoria Tower Gardens, just outside Parliament. We then lead about thirty dignitaries to the event venue in Portcullis House, which is part of the Parliamentary Estate. The event gave us the opportunity to showcase some of the brilliant organisations that make Cornwall so special. Several stands displayed Cornwall’s rich identity, heritage, industry, arts, culture and sport. It was fantastic to see so many people, from the Prime Minister down, listen, learn and enjoy as much of our Cornish story as the six MPs could muster. Dozens of MPs and Peers from across the UK visited and both rooms were ram-packed. The event was topped off by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s announcement that their tour of Hamlet would be starting at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro next year. It was so rewarding to see the likes of Minister for Transport, Lilian Greenwood, and the Deputy Speaker, Caroline Noakes getting stuck into some scones and cream – jam first and Rodda’s on top, obviously!

So why is all this so important? The truth is that there is so much going on in Westminster, so many challenging priorities, and every part of the country fighting to make the case for more funding and support. Pushing Cornwall up the political agenda means that we can open doors to conversations that would otherwise take weeks to organise. We know that we have so much more to do to get NHS waiting times down, access to GPs and dentists, and a bit more money in people’s pockets. And so far we have had some success: the investment in South Crofty; the women and children’s unit at Treliske; the £47-million of Shared Prosperity Funding for Cornwall Council, for example. But St Piran’s Day remains a key annual focal point.

Perran Moon

Labour MP for Camborne & Redruth