How acute inequality scars the corneal idyll that hosts the G7 summit

When next week Joe Biden inhales the Atlantic air as he descends the steps of Air Force One on his first trip abroad as president of the United States, he will become the last visitor to an irregular peninsula in the southwestern tip of the British mainland. already full: Cornwall.

This corner of the UK barely needs more publicity. It was already one of the UK’s most popular domestic holiday destinations and continued pandemic restrictions on overseas travel have ensured hotels and restaurants are packed.

The arrival of Biden and other foreign leaders at the G7 summit, which will begin next Friday at a boutique hotel in Carbis Bay, will only bolster the region’s reputation as a premium destination.

A granite wedge that juts out into the Atlantic, the appeal of the Celtic region is based on myths and legends. The G7 will add another layer to Cornish folklore as world leaders come together to try to solve the world’s problems.

Tales are already circulating of how Biden’s entourage will have to change their armored Beast limousine for a “mini-beast”, more suited to Cornwall’s narrow, twisted lanes.

Local police are concerned that seagulls, famous and aggressive in the area, could damage unmanned aircraft, monitoring the huge security operation.

Cornwall provides a miniature backdrop to some of the main themes that will dominate the summit.

Climate change: The county has geothermal energy. Industries of the future: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has christened the county as the “Lithium Klondike.” Inequality: There are many examples of poverty in Cornwall and it is one of the target regions of Johnson’s agenda to “level up” after Brexit.

The G7 summit will highlight the disconnect between the kind of people staying at the Carbis Bay Hotel and the million-pound houses along the stunning Cornish coast and those living elsewhere. one of the poorest parts of Britain.

Locals, who often work in low-paid hospitality jobs and face low housing costs, have little hope that a brief visit from Biden and other world leaders will do much to change their fortunes.

10 miles from Carbis Bay, on the Pengegon estate in Camborne, officially one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in England, residents were not impressed by the arrival of the G7 diplomatic circus. They complained that world leaders are capable of flying to Cornwall in a pandemic, even though for months they could not see their loved ones.

“They are famous people. There seems to be one rule for them and another for us, “said caregiver Heidi Chesterfield. Her friend Anna Francis is skeptical that the county will make long-term profits from holding the summit. “Cornwall is the end of the line; we always forget. “

Downing Street has tried to embrace this awkward juxtaposition of wealth and poverty. Johnson will state that the G7’s agenda of green growth and new technologies will benefit precisely remote regions like Cornwall, with its aspirations as a leader in renewable energy, eco-tourism and even in spaces; plans to build the first spaceport in the United Kingdom.

But some are skeptical. Resentment towards a distant EU elite that manifested itself in the 2016 Cornish pro-Brexit vote echoes a traditional frustration with wealthy entrants, who have raised house prices and converted properties in holiday homes.

Bailey Tomkinson, a 21-year-old St Ives singer-songwriter, has written a song inspired by the G7 summit. She says “Blood Red” captures her anger at the event. It is supposed to be dedicated to sustainable development, but the leaders are transported by plane and helicopter to a hotel where the trees were removed to accommodate them all.

“It’s like Joni Mitchell: they opened up paradise,” he said. “There are people who come who can change the world with a stroke of the pen, but what do they do to help us? One mile from Carbis Bay, one in three children is born into poverty. “

At the port of neighboring St Ives, 70-year-old John Harry, who was born and raised in the city, gestures across the boardwalk. “This place is full at 11 in the morning. St Ives no longer goes out. It’s like that for 12 months a year. ”

One of the local cafes takes visitors away and informs them that the next available lunch reservation will be on July 28th. Linda Taylor, Conservative leader of the Cornwall council, says that at some tourist spots “a mouse couldn’t find a small bed”; urged visitors to explore lesser-known areas of the county.

Malcolm Bell, head of the tourism agency Visit Cornwall, notes that his industry accounts for a turnover of £ 2bn a year, 12% of the county’s GDP and a fifth of jobs. He says most local people see tourism as an economic necessity: “It’s like doctors say the hospital would work much better if it weren’t for all patients.”

Londoners are beginning to make Cornwall their main residence, working from home, perhaps maintaining a flat in the capital. Homes are becoming Airbnb rentals. The county, once seen as a traditional “bucket and shovel” family destination, has changed markets.

Bell suggested that the opening of the Tate outpost at St Ives in 1993 was a catalyst. David Cameron, the former prime minister, took a vacation in Rock, on the north coast, a town that in the summer irrigates money and surf chic, and whose county hotels and vacation parks have been updated. “We’ve become a premium product,” Bell said.

Johnson is well aware that the G7 is not universally popular in Cornwall. Businesses have been forced to close, the Carbis Bay Hotel is still under construction and Biden’s security team has left nothing to chance when it comes to road closures.

But the British Prime Minister has promised to invest in the county and leave a legacy at the summit. Taylor said it was vital that this helped residents in places like Pengegon, not just places visited by G7 leaders: “We need to make sure this legacy spreads all over Cornwall.”