A Cornish MP has called for St Piran’s Day to be given its own national holiday during a debate in Parliament.

Ben Maguire, the MP for North Cornwall, told fellow MPs during a debate about St David’s Day, the national day of celebration of Wales’ patron saint and other Welsh affairs, that he wished for their support in his calls for Cornwall to have a bank holiday to celebrate St Piran’s Day.

It has long been the subject of calls from campaigners for the day to be celebrated on a bank holiday, and given equal prominence to the days for Wales, Scotland and England.

In two interventions during the debate, he received response from other MPs regarding his wishes for the day of Cornwall’s patron saint.

The first, Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts, responded to Mr Maguire by stating: “Yes, we should celebrate our regional and national saints with vigour and enthusiasm, and ensure that people get every opportunity and the time to enjoy them.”

The second intervention, during an address by David Chadwick MP, Mr Maguire once again asked if he would support his calls regarding St Piran’s Day, to which he responded: “I do of course support my hon. Friend’s campaign, and I hope he will also endorse our campaign for St David’s Day to be considered a public holiday.”

Speaking after, the debate, the MP said: “I was also very proud to call for St Piran’s Day to become a national Bank Holiday in Parliament this week - a call which received support from colleagues from my own party, as well as Plaid Cymru. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our Cornish traditions and heritage, and I look forward to attending St Piran’s Day events here in North Cornwall.”