THE Cornish motto, "One and All" or "One hag All" underpinned our campaign to secure an “exceptional” devolution deal for Cornwall from government. Many told us we couldn’t do it. That we’d have to cave in. That our case didn’t fit the government’s rules, which demand bland administrative uniformity. But they were wrong. Cornwall will have greater ability to shape its future, without having to first ask permission from Bristol. Exeter or London.

For me, it’s been a campaign over almost half a century. Since the general election, Cornwall's six MPs stood together, and worked as a team, with Cornwall Council. We said we wouldn't flinch. And now we have the building blocks to assemble a better way forward, based on Cornwall's strengths (in marine innovation, critical minerals and mining, green technologies and geothermal, space science etc). We also secured stronger recognition for the Cornish language (I successfully did my small part in leading the successful parliamentary campaign a quarter of a century ago) and backing for our growth/industrial strategy.

Thank you to all who’ve been involved over the years. Though it's an important step, it's only a staging post. Now we must prove why this was the correct way forward, and how we will capitalise.

Go Cornwall deserves great credit for offering to plug the enormous gap left by First Bus, but Ministers must recognise that Cornwall cannot maintain its public transport infrastructure based the climate of uncertainty. Sticking plaster and make-do solutions won’t do. Central Government invests billions in the wraparound public transport services of Greater London. Over £19-billion on the Queen Elizabeth line alone. In comparison, Cornwall's public transport is treated like a country cousin, with timetables characterised by piecemeal uncertainty and the vagaries of short-term commercial decision-making and the consequential stop-start services.

Our protest against Lloyds' decision to shut its Penzance branch next month is gathering pace. We deliver our first raft of petitions to London this week. There’s still time to support.

We’re of course realistic. We know this is a commercial decision and the odds are stacked against us. But Penzance isn’t the kind of place to take something like this lying down. The level of local support has been incredible. We want them to ‘pause’ for at least a year, and to talk to us. There’s been no local consultation, nor proper impact assessment.

After all, their proposed replacement - a single "community banker" visiting once every fortnight to sit at a remote desk - isn't good enough.

Along with a cross-party group of protesting MPs, I’ve written to Lloyds CEO, Charlie Nunn. Our town's vitality depends on a functioning bank presence. Post offices and banking hubs are fine, but do not provide the full range of services needed when online systems fail (or come under cyber-attack), for complex transactions when face-to-face support is needed, and to support vulnerable and digitally excluded customers.