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Britain14 September, 20263 min read

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Leaders Sign Independence Memorandum in Cardiff

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First ministers of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland sign memorandum asserting right to self-determination. They seek referendums and plan constitutional changes with urged Westminster to facilitate.

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Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Leaders Sign Independence Memorandum in Cardiff
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Cardiff independence memorandum

Nationalist leaders from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland met this Monday in Cardiff to sign an agreement aimed at strengthening cooperation and defending the right of their nations to decide their future within the United Kingdom. John Swinney, Rhun ap Iorwerth, and Michelle O’Neill attended as leaders of their parties, with Mary Lou McDonald also attending, and the memorandum of understanding said no Westminster government had the right to block democracy. The BBC said the leaders signed an agreement that declared Westminster’s time is coming to an end, while the ABC reported the memo was due to sign in Cardiff and would cover four areas: economy, energy, Europe and international cooperation, and self-determination.

Swinney framed the meeting as a constitutional turning point, saying “Westminster must prepare for a post-UK future,” and the BBC reported that ap Iorwerth declined to give a timetable for a referendum in Wales. The BBC also reported that Labour and Reform accused Plaid of wanting to break up the UK as the three first ministers backed a separate agreement to press the UK government on fairness in funding and powers.

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Quotes, disputes, and divergence

At the joint press conference, the BBC reported that Scotland’s John Swinney and Northern Ireland’s Michelle O’Neill called for referendums, while Wales’ Rhun ap Iorwerth declined to give a timetable for one in his country. Swinney told the BBC that Monday was a “pivotal moment in the constitutional journey of the United Kingdom,” and he described Andy Burnham as the “last prime minister of the United Kingdom.” Ap Iorwerth said there was a “growing recognition that Westminster is not working” and that “power genuinely needs to be brought closer to people and communities,” while the BBC reported he said it was “up to the people of Wales to decide its own future.”

The BBC also quoted DUP deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly accusing Michelle O’Neill of attempting to “weaponise the role of first minister,” and it said Labour and Reform accused Plaid of wanting to break up the UK. In contrast, the ABC reported Burnham’s written clarification that another referendum remains “off limits” before the next general elections, and it said Burnham recalled Labour’s 2024 programme was “unambiguous” and that Labour “does not support independence or another referendum.”

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What happens next

After the Cardiff meeting, the BBC reported that Swinney and ap Iorwerth signed an agreement between the Welsh and Scottish governments that was not legally binding and would “press the case for greater fairness for Wales and Scotland” in UK funding arrangements and powers over their constitutional future. The BBC said the two governments would work together on issues including tackling child poverty and maximising the benefits of their relationships with the European Union, while Swinney declined to offer support for reform of the Barnett Formula. The ABC reported that the meeting would establish cooperation between the three parties where they share interests and address their relationship with Europe, and it said the three leaders would also address self-determination as part of the joint statement.

On the referendum question, the BBC reported that Plaid has ruled out an independence referendum before the next Senedd election in 2030, and it also reported that ap Iorwerth said the timescale would be set by the people of Wales when they are persuaded. The ABC framed the political stakes through Swinney’s message to the British prime minister, quoting him as saying “Andy Burnham must be starting to confront the idea that he will go down in history as the last prime minister of the United Kingdom.”

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