A POLITICAL war of words has broken out between one of Cornwall’s Labour MPs and the leader of Reform UK in the Duchy.

Perran Moon, MP for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, has accused Reform of being “the anti-Cornish party”.

Rob Parsonage, Reform’s group leader in Cornwall, has in turn accused Mr Moon of being rattled by his party’s success at May’s council elections and argued that Reform are “putting the interests of the British and Cornish people first and foremost.”

Mr Moon’s comments come after Reform’s leader Nigel Farage outlined the party’s immigration policy this week, which would see it leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if voted in as the next government.

“Reform UK’s announcement that it would withdraw from the ECHR would be catastrophic for Cornish National Minority Status,” said the MP. “Because the internationally recognised Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities is applied via the Council of Europe, and the UK could not be a member of the Council of Europe if it withdrew from ECHR, Cornwall would lose its National Minority Status.”

Mr Moon added: “This is a truly terrible policy for Cornwall from Reform UK but is fairly typical of their ‘talk first, think later’ approach to politics. Removing Cornish National Minority Status undermines centuries of work to maintain the integrity and distinction of Cornwall’s territorial status, language, culture and heritage.

“This policy is in line with a Cornwall Council vote last month when Reform UK was the only party in Cornwall to vote against a motion for a Cornish devolution arrangement. It hasn’t taken very long for the Reform UK mask to slip and now people across Cornwall can see that Reform UK is the anti-Cornish party.”

Mr Moon said that in contrast, on March 5 – St Piran’s Day – Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in the House of Commons: “We (the Labour Government) do recognise Cornish National Minority Status, not just the proud language, history and the culture but also its bright future.”

Mr Parsonage, who was elected as the Reform councillor for Torpoint at the Cornwall Council election on May 1, responded in a statement: “Perrin [sic] Moon, MP for Camborne and Redruth, is clearly rattled after Reform’s councillor and constituency branch chair Roger Tarrant turned the constituency ‘turquoise’. How many other Labour and Liberal Democrats MPs and councillors are worried that they’ll lose their seats in 2029 I wonder?

“Reform’s massive success in Cornwall, winning the most seats, 28, and the largest number of votes, over 47,500, demonstrates our overriding commitment to Cornwall and to securing more powers and funding from Westminster; the electorate has spoken and will speak again in 2029.

“We will make no apology for putting the interests of the British and Cornish people first and foremost. A Senedd type approach suggested by the Liberal Democrats, with salaries, would see funding stripped away from essential services during a cost of living crisis.

“Cornish recognition was secured under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and has nothing to do with the EU, nor the ECHR. These are two completely separate agreements. We are recognised because of our history, our culture and our identity – none of which depend on Strasbourg. Leaving the ECHR would not strip away Cornish recognition.”