SNP and Plaid Cymru back MK call for a PEB

Senior politicians from the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru have called on the BBC Director-General to allow Mebyon Kernow - the Party for Cornwall a Party Election Broadcast (PEB).

The move came as the BBC persisted in disallowing the Cornish party from having even a regional level broadcast despite the UK formally recognising “the distinct identity of the Cornish people” through the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Michael Russell MSP (SNP), the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, and Dafydd Trystan, the Plaid Cymru Chairman, wrote directly to BBC Director-General Tony Hall and the Chair of the BBC Trust Rona Fairhead in support of fair coverage for MK.

Mr Russell said: “As a former SNP Chief Executive involved in the long struggle for fair treatment by the BBC in the matter of Party Election Broadcasts, I recognise, alas, that the BBC's failure to grant Mebyon Kernow - the Party of Cornwall - a PEB during the current General Election is sadly symptomatic of the BBC's continuing inability to fully understand, respect and respond to the current realities of political, linguistic, and geographic diversity in our islands today.”

“Given that Cornwall has this [national] status it should therefore be accorded the same status as Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, when deciding how PEBs are allocated. According to the BBC a registered political party which stands candidates in a minimum of one sixth of the seats up for election in a nation will qualify for one party election broadcast in that nation. MK are standing in all seats in Cornwall.”

The call was immediately backed by Plaid Cymru with the Party Chairman, Dafydd Trystan, also writing to the BBC along with several other members of Plaid Cymru.

In addition, several European autonomist parties have written in support of MK along with the President of the European Free Alliance, Francois Alfonsi.