Cornish campaigners angry at tick-box census snub

Dick Cole, leader of Mebyon Kernow, wants a Cornish national identity tick-box in the 2021 census

Campaigners say they are furious there will not be a Cornish national identity tick-box in the 2021 census.

Dick Cole, of Cornish nationalist party Mebyon Kernow, wants a tick-box alongside Welsh, Scottish and Irish.

He said the decision to exclude it was "illogical, prejudicial, disrespectful and just plain wrong".

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said the calls were "very localised and not strong enough to justify its inclusion in the nationwide census".

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Mr Cole, who sits on Cornwall Council, said: "The Cornish are recognised as a national minority through the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, just the same as the Irish, Scots and Welsh."

"It is scandalous that the UK government and Office of National Statistics consider it acceptable that the Cornish will be the only UK national minority to be denied a tick-box on the 2021 census.

"This is discriminatory."

He added: "We must not give up."

The Cornish gained the same status as the Welsh, Scots and Irish in 2014

The ONS said it had "met and reviewed the evidence of Cornish stakeholders" and "conducted testing to consider the acceptability of adding regional tick-boxes" ahead of the decision.

It said: "The ONS fully recognises the need of the Cornish community for data on the socio-economic, educational, health and housing conditions of those who identify as Cornish."

It added: "While there is national user need, the main need is local within Cornwall."