Devonwall (possible UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Devonwall is a jocular name used in 2010 for a possible constituency that would combine parts of Devon
and Cornwall
and would be represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
.
The likely need for such a constituency to be created arose from the major 2013 Review of constituencies in England
, instigated by the coalition government's legislation requiring constituencies to be within 5% of a given size. The portmanteau name is the same as that used for a previous proposal
first introduced in the 1970s to combine Cornwall and Devon together in an economic, political and statistical sense to form a South West region.
In a nationwide study into the 2013 Review
, the research group Democratic Audit considered the South West England
review area, and published an idea of how the redrawn map might look. In that model the resulting cross-border constituency was called "Torridge and Tintagel". When the Boundary Commission for England published its actual initial proposals on 13 September, 2011, it proposed a cross-border constituency as "Bude and Bideford"
that would have ensured that "all parts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
must be included in constituencies that are wholly in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly" was defeated by 250 to 221 votes in the House of Lords
.
said "It's the Tamar, not the Amazon, for Heaven's sake", referring to the fact that the River Tamar
currently forms most of the border between Cornwall and Devon. Alison Seabeck
, a Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, said that "This is a very contentious subject, and I think Mr Cameron owes the public an explanation. This is a very sensitive issue." However, Mark Harper
, junior minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, pointed out that the two counties already shared a police force, and a MEP
, so an MP across the Tamar River divide is not "impossible".
Around 500 people gathered at a rally in Saltash
organised by its mayor, Adam Killeya who said of the border that it was "ancient and distinctive" and most people wanted to continue with that status. Guest speakers included Conservative
MP Sheryll Murray
, Liberal Democrat
MP Stephen Gilbert
, UKIP MEP Trevor Colman
and Mebyon Kernow
councillor and deputy leader Andrew Long. At the rally Stephen Gilbert said that "This is Cornwall and over there, that's England. When David Cameron said this is not the Amazon he was right... it's much more important." On the same day the Cornish
and Celtic campaigner Michael Chappell announced that he was prepared to go on hunger strike over the boundary issue. Chappell later told the BBC that he had given up the hunger strike after 11 days.
Mebyon Kernow
opposed the change saying it "accused the Conservative / Liberal Democrat Coalition of treating Cornwall with absolute contempt".
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and would be represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
The likely need for such a constituency to be created arose from the major 2013 Review of constituencies in England
Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies
The Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, also known as the 2013 Review, is an ongoing process by which parliamentary constituencies to the British House of Commons will be reformed, to comply with the revised rules for the number and size of constituencies introduced by the...
, instigated by the coalition government's legislation requiring constituencies to be within 5% of a given size. The portmanteau name is the same as that used for a previous proposal
Devonwall
Devonwall was a political concept introduced in the United Kingdom in the 1970s by the Conservative government. It was an attempt to link Cornwall and Devon together in an economic, political and statistical sense to form a South West region...
first introduced in the 1970s to combine Cornwall and Devon together in an economic, political and statistical sense to form a South West region.
In a nationwide study into the 2013 Review
Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies
The Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, also known as the 2013 Review, is an ongoing process by which parliamentary constituencies to the British House of Commons will be reformed, to comply with the revised rules for the number and size of constituencies introduced by the...
, the research group Democratic Audit considered the South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
review area, and published an idea of how the redrawn map might look. In that model the resulting cross-border constituency was called "Torridge and Tintagel". When the Boundary Commission for England published its actual initial proposals on 13 September, 2011, it proposed a cross-border constituency as "Bude and Bideford"
Background
The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 proposed changes to the boundaries and number of UK constituencies, requiring that the electorate of each constituency must be within 5 percent of the national average. An amendment to the bill by Lord TeversonRobin Teverson, Baron Teverson
Robin Teverson, Baron Teverson is a Liberal Democrat Whip and currently Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change .The son of Crofton Teverson, he was educated at Exeter University...
that would have ensured that "all parts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
must be included in constituencies that are wholly in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly" was defeated by 250 to 221 votes in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Opposition
There was strong cross party opposition to the bill in Cornwall because the Cornish border will not be respected when the new constituency boundaries are drawn up. Commenting on this, Prime Minister David CameronDavid Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
said "It's the Tamar, not the Amazon, for Heaven's sake", referring to the fact that the River Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
currently forms most of the border between Cornwall and Devon. Alison Seabeck
Alison Seabeck
Alison Jane Seabeck is an English Labour Party politician and shadow Minister in the Ministry of Defence. She was previously the shadow Housing Minister...
, a Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, said that "This is a very contentious subject, and I think Mr Cameron owes the public an explanation. This is a very sensitive issue." However, Mark Harper
Mark Harper
Mark James Harper British politician and self-employed accountant . He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Forest of Dean and is currently the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Cabinet Office, with ministerial responsibility for Political and Constitutional Reform.-Early life...
, junior minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, pointed out that the two counties already shared a police force, and a MEP
MEP
MEP may refer to:* Member of the European Parliament, an elected politician in the European Union * Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing, a part of the building design industry...
, so an MP across the Tamar River divide is not "impossible".
Around 500 people gathered at a rally in Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
organised by its mayor, Adam Killeya who said of the border that it was "ancient and distinctive" and most people wanted to continue with that status. Guest speakers included Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Sheryll Murray
Sheryll Murray
Sheryll Murray is a Conservative Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament for South East Cornwall since the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
, Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
MP Stephen Gilbert
Stephen Gilbert (UK politician)
Stephen David John "Steve" Gilbert is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who was elected the Member of Parliament for the new constituency of St Austell and Newquay at the 2010 general election.-Background:...
, UKIP MEP Trevor Colman
Trevor Colman
Trevor Colman is a Member of the European Parliament for South West England. He represents the 2nd seat in the constituency, for the United Kingdom Independence Party....
and Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow is a left-of-centre political party in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It primarily campaigns for devolution to Cornwall in the form of a Cornish Assembly, as well as social democracy and environmental protection.MK was formed as a pressure group in 1951, and contained as members activists...
councillor and deputy leader Andrew Long. At the rally Stephen Gilbert said that "This is Cornwall and over there, that's England. When David Cameron said this is not the Amazon he was right... it's much more important." On the same day the Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
and Celtic campaigner Michael Chappell announced that he was prepared to go on hunger strike over the boundary issue. Chappell later told the BBC that he had given up the hunger strike after 11 days.
Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow is a left-of-centre political party in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It primarily campaigns for devolution to Cornwall in the form of a Cornish Assembly, as well as social democracy and environmental protection.MK was formed as a pressure group in 1951, and contained as members activists...
opposed the change saying it "accused the Conservative / Liberal Democrat Coalition of treating Cornwall with absolute contempt".
See also
- Politics of CornwallPolitics of CornwallCornwall is currently administered as a county of South West England whose politics are influenced by a number of issues that make it distinct from the general political scene in the wider UK, and the political trends of neighbouring counties...
- Cornwall and Plymouth (European Parliament constituency)Cornwall and Plymouth (European Parliament constituency)Cornwall and Plymouth was a European Parliament constituency covering Cornwall and Plymouth in England.Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...