Leaders from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to sign a deal Monday to initiate the process of break-up of the United Kingdom, The Telegraph reported.
The joint declaration seeking the right to hold independence referendums will be signed by the Scottish, Welsh and Irish first ministers at a summit in Cardiff.
This comes in the wake of remarks made by United States President Donald Trump during his visit to Dublin, wherein he said he would “love” to see a united Ireland.
UK PM Burnham's ‘clear consensus’ remark signals potential shift
United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham had also suggested to Members of Parliament (MPs) in the country that he would authorise another Scottish referendum if there were a “clear consensus” in favour of one, according to The Telegraph.
Responding to an MP from the Scottish National Party (SNP) on the lack of formal secession mechanisms for Scotland compared to Northern Ireland, Burnham said a border poll in Northern Ireland is triggered when there is a clear public consensus.
{{/usCountry}}Responding to an MP from the Scottish National Party (SNP) on the lack of formal secession mechanisms for Scotland compared to Northern Ireland, Burnham said a border poll in Northern Ireland is triggered when there is a clear public consensus.
{{/usCountry}}He said the “same situation” applies to Scotland. Burnham made the remarks during Prime Minister's questions, a convention in the UK where the PM spends 30 minutes answering questions from MPs every Wednesday afternoon.
Why are first ministers meeting now?
Following the Labour Party's loss in the elections in Wales in May, there are now pro-independence parties in power in all three of UK's devolved nations – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – for the first time. In Wales, Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Cardiff Senedd in May, with Rhun ap Iowerth taking over as the first minister.
Meanwhile, the SNP also fortified its position as the dominant party in Scotland. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein won the Assembly elections in 2022. However, a walkout by the Democratic Unionist Party meant that Michelle O’Neill took over as first minister in 2024. Sinn Fein is expected to retain its hold on the votes in Northern Ireland next year, The Telegraph reported.
Scottish first minister and SNP leader John Swinney, Wales' Iowerth and O’Neill will be joined by Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein's president and leader of opposition in Ireland, at the summit.
SNP leader claims ‘big shift’, Burnham rejects another Scottish referendum
After Burnham's remarks on the Scottish referendum, Swinney claimed the PM was “facing up to the idea that he will go down in history as the final prime minister of the United Kingdom.”
Swinney had also written to Burnham on Thursday, calling for talks on how an “agreed legal mechanism” for such a Scottish referendum could be agreed, after the UK PM's remarks. However, Burnham told Swinney in a letter that a second vote on Scottish independence was “off-limits”. Burnham said that during his remarks, he was “simply highlighting that there is no consensus for an independence referendum in Scotland”.
However, Swinney on Sunday sad the “status quo” was “not sustainable.” “For the first time ever, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are led by pro-independence first ministers. There could be no clearer sign that the status quo is not sustainable – and that Westminster must prepare for a post-UK future,” he said, according to The Telegraph.