Dick Cole steps down after 29 years as leader of Mebyon Kernow, the party campaigning for Cornish devolution. He leaves as the idea gains mainstream traction.
01Summary
- 01Dick Cole has led Mebyon Kernow for 29 years, making him the UK's longest-serving current political party leader.
- 02Cole became party leader in 1997, the same year Tony Blair became prime minister.
- 03The party has about 500 members, three Cornwall council seats and 25 seats on smaller councils.
- 04Cole will be succeeded as leader by Michael Bunney, a teacher and bard of Gorsedh Kernow.
- 05Cole cited persistence as key to moving the dial on Cornish devolution, which he called no longer a pipe dream.
02Why it matters
Cornwall remains one of the poorest parts of the UK, and the push for greater self-government could reshape how the region is governed and funded.
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