'Devonwall' boundary changes postponed by the Commons

A former Saltash mayor has hailed the decision by the House of Commons to postpone parliamentary boundary changes that would have created a 'Devonwall' constituency as 'a great result for Cornwall." Adam Killeya has been speaking on behalf of campaign group Keep Cornwall Whole.

The Commons voted by 334 to 292 to postpone the changes, which would have seen parts of Devon and Cornwall having to share an MP, until after the General Election in 2015. The outcome echoes a similar result in the House of Lords earlier this month.

Convenor of Keep Cornwall Whole, Mr Killeya, who founded the campaign while he was Mayor of Saltash in 2010, said: "This is fantastic news. We would have much preferred it if Cornwall had been explicitly protected in law, which is what we fought for. However the route to victory is less important than the result which is that Cornwall will remain whole for at least the next election".

He added "We had backing from across the political spectrum throughout the campaign, from people of all parties and none. What is key now that is that we renew the fight for greater autonomy for Cornwall to prevent this kind of threat in the future."