Cornwall is among 20 bids from across the UK hoping to win the four-yearly title.
The competition, from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, will see a final shortlist complied in early 2022, with the winner announced in May next year.
In a joint statement, the six Cornish MPs said: “We’re all backing this bid because it’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase Cornwall’s culture and creativity on a global stage, attracting investment, creating jobs and bringing communities together.
“Our bid has the environment and the transition to a low carbon economy and society at its heart, using culture as a catalyst to tackle global issues locally, and level up areas outside London.”
Cornwall’s bid is being led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), focusing on Cornwall’s unique geography and cultural strengths.
It has the backing of creative personalities and cultural organisations across Cornwall and beyond, including actor and writer Dawn French, national Tate director Maria Balshaw, the Eden Project, Falmouth University, Hall for Cornwall, Creative England, Miracle Theatre and many more.
The Conservatives on Cornwall Council have been accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over the City of Culture efforts.
Four years ago, when the then Liberal Democrat/Independent administration proposed a £300k bid for Cornwall to be EU City of Culture, the Conservatives slammed it as a ‘vanity project’ and a ‘waste of money’, and called for it to be dropped.
Responding to the accusations, the Conservatives have said that the previous bid for EU Capital of Culture was set to be made ‘after we had voted to leave the EU’ whereas the current campaign is different because it is for UK City of Culture.
The Conservatives say that bidding for the City of Culture title has been shown to have a very positive impact on a place, with previously longlisted locations bringing together enduring partnerships to share a vision for an area and attract investment.
And the benefits of winning the title are significant, showcasing a location to the country and the world in a year-long celebration of culture. Coventry, which is UK City of Culture 2021, has attracted over £100 million in capital investment to support cultural projects, while Hull saw more than 5.3 million visits in 2017.