By Richard Whitehouse, local democracy reporter

PRIME Minister Boris Johnson visited Cornwall on Wednesday, March 7, and explained that it was his intention that the county would get replacement EU funding from funding streams which are also available to other parts of the UK.

Cornwall had received millions in funding from the European Union for more than 20 years after it was recognised as being one of the poorest regions in Europe.

When the UK left the EU Boris Johnson made a pledge that Cornwall would not lose out on additional funding after Brexit.

Cornwall Council had set out a bid to secure a dedicated pot of money which it said would be needed to replace the lost EU funding, totalling £100-million a year.

However, Mr Johnson recently indicated that the lost funding would be made up through funding provided through schemes which are also available to all other parts of the UK, with no special allowance for Cornwall.

Speaking in Truro’s Lemon Street Market during a day visit to Cornwall, the Prime Minister highlighted money announced for Truro’s Town Deal, funding provided to Newquay Airport for improvements for the G7 summit and other town deal cash as examples of how the Government is replacing the lost EU funding.

He said: “Our intention was that the EU funding would be more than made up for by the commitments  that we have made so the £90-million growth fund and getting building fund obviously goes a long way then we have talked about the £23-million growth fund for Truro and the various other funds I have mentioned, the £10-million for Penzance, the £7.8-million for the airport and spaceport as it will be, next year.”

However, the Prime Minister then went off on a strange tangent and started asking why Cathedral City cheese does not have Truro Cathedral as its logo.

He said: “I have one question for you, one of the things we are funding through the LEP is the dairy industry in this part of the world, several million pounds to support local creamery at Davidstow, so here is my question, Cathedral City is just about the most popular cheddars, well one of the most popular, I have to be careful, one of the popular cheddar brands in this country and I personally am an avid consumer of it, far more than I should do, right? But Truro is obviously the cathedral city in question, isn’t it? It must be as that is the local city, so why does the packet of Cathedral City Cheddar not resemble Truro Cathedral?”

The image on the packets is in fact Wells Cathedral in Somerset, where the original producers were based.

The Prime Minister was also asked about the G7 summit and whether it would provide a lasting benefit to Cornwall.

He said: “I think the G7, I hope that it will be a great benefit and a lasting benefit to Carbis Bay, to the St Ives area but also the wider Cornwall area and at Newquay Airport (where he flew into today) I have seen what they are doing with the aprons so that Air Force One can land and Macron, all the planes can land properly.

“That will be something that can be used for the long term and there are all sorts of other improvements and I hope it will bring a lot of bustle and activity and stimulate and be part of what I hope will be a really good season and it is so important that people are opening up on Monday and we can see people getting ready already.

“We are hoping that it will be a great, great season, but we are also investing here in Truro £23m fund that we are putting in, the growth fund that is coming in and the getting building funding and the Newquay Airport funding and Penzance. We are trying to stimulate it and we hope that with people coming back to Cornwall it will be very lively.”

Asked whether the G7 would definitely take place in June he replied: “At the moment that is our expectation, you have to be humble in the face of nature, the roadmap is there, these are not the full dates I have to remind everybody of that but at the moment it is looking OK, it is looking good.”

Mr Johnson was also asked about the current problems facing the fishing industry and what his message was to those affected.

He responded: “The first thing is that of course I recognise the disruption and anxiety that some fishermen have had as a result of the changes and we’re working flat out and I know Cherilyn (Mackrory, Truro and Falmouth MP) is working flat out with George Eustice the secretary of state to sort it out.

“Eventually of course there will be significant opportunities for UK fishing fleet, fishing industry particularly here in Cornwall, but there is no question that there have been problems in the last few months, it hasn’t been helped by the collapse of the restaurant trade on the continent because of COVID and in our own restaurants, but there are unquestionable additional problems that we have had to iron out and that is why we are putting in a £2-million fund for short term problems and a £10,000 fund to help individuals, that is £10,000 for individuals’ logistical problems.

“What we want to do is use the £100-million long term fund really to strengthen the fishing industry in Cornwall and across the whole of the UK so build their long term future because in a few years’ time we are going to have access, the ability to fish all our fish in our waters and frankly we need to train people in our fishing fleet communities to be ready for that.”

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the new deal to boost the Cornish economy, Kim Conchie, CEO of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, said: “Cornwall Chamber of Commerce is delighted to hear the news that Truro will benefit from £23.4-million town deal to commence the transformation of the city into the 21st century place that it really can be and deserves to be.

“We’re delighted that the government is backing its levelling up agenda in this way and we look forward to this sort of investment coming into Cornwall, making sure that we are one of the places where the 21st century really does prosper and flourish, in a new clean and green way and this sort of city deal will really help Truro to get its act together, make it a really modern place ready for the clean and green revolution that Cornwall so desperately needs, and indeed is leading on.”