Leaders of Celtic nations signal end of Westminster rule at Cardiff summit
The first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, all from nationalist parties, met in Cardiff to formalise their shared goal of independence. They signed an agreement stating that no UK government can block democracy or prevent their peoples from deciding their constitutional futures. Scotland and Northern Ireland explicitly called for independence referendums, while Wales did not set a timeframe.
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For the first time since devolution began, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are simultaneously led by parties seeking to leave the United Kingdom. Their leaders gathered in Cardiff to express this shared ambition formally. Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru, John Swinney of the SNP and Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin signed a memorandum of understanding. Irish opposition leader Mary Lou McDonald also attended. The agreement states that the political situation across these islands is changing and that no Westminster government has the authority to block democracy or prevent people from deciding their own future.
At a press conference, Swinney and O'Neill openly called for votes on independence, while ap Iorwerth chose not to commit to a specific timeline for Wales. This difference reflects varying levels of support for independence in each nation. The governments of Scotland and Wales separately agreed to work together to pressure the UK government on funding fairness and devolved powers.
This was the first in-person meeting of these sister parties since Plaid Cymru's success in May's Senedd elections. Labour and Reform parties criticised the nationalists for wanting to break up the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who took office in July, has emphasised regional devolution within England, though his government's approach to the devolved nations has been unclear so far.
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