Now is the time to demand a Cornish tickbox

Article by Cllr Dick Cole published in the Cornish Guardian (14th January 2026) and West Briton newspapers (15th January 2026)

In the lead-up to the 2021 census, I was heavily involved with the campaign to secure a Cornish nationality tick-box. We repeatedly made the argument that the UK Government had promised to treat the Cornish – who they recognise as a national minority – in the same manner as the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh, who were to be allocated tick-boxes.

It was very frustrating that we did not succeed. I recall the circularity of responses from the UK Government and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) at that time. We were told by Ministers that there would not be a tick-box as it had not been recommended by the ONS, while the ONS said that they hadn’t recommended one because the UK Government hadn’t told the organisation to do so!

I was also shocked at the shambolic manner in which the ONS published the data. The initial press release in November 2022 included a number of errors and it stated that the number of people who described themselves as Cornish-only or ticked the British box and wrote-in Cornish was 99,754.

Following pressure from activists in Cornwall, the ONS issued further information. This included the number of those people who wrote in Cornish (but also ticked a box for another UK identity – English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish). The overall total had gone up to 108,860 people, of whom 96,375 were resident in Cornwall.

And then, in December 2023, the ONS published its analysis of everyone who had identified as Cornish through their ethnicity, nationality or language. Their final figure was 117,350, of which 103,230 were resident in Cornwall, equivalent to 18.1% of the population.

I remain extremely proud that 117,350 people made this conscious decision to “write-in” Cornish. It was a very powerful statement of the strength of our national identity, and yet it represents a massive undercount of Cornish people because, unlike other national groups, we are denied a tick-box.

I believe it is important to continue to press for recognition in the next census and to challenge all Government departments and agencies, and public sector bodies, to include Cornish as an identity option on official forms.

The ONS is presently undertaking work to scope out the topics and questions to be included within the 2031 census, and they are carrying out a specific assessment on the questions relating to ethnicity and nationality. This consultation closes on 4th February and I will be submitting a representation in the near future. If you like to join me in lobbying the ONS, you can find out more at: https://consultations.ons.gov.uk.

https://mebyonkernow.org/news/now-is-the-time-to-demand-a-cornish-tickbox/