Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Sign 'Historic' Pact to Break Up UK
Leaders from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have signed an agreement asserting their right to self-determination and calling on the British government to prepare for constitutional change across the U.K.
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The leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s governing separatist parties have signed a joint pact asserting their right to determine their constitutional futures and calling on Westminster to prepare for potential changes to the United Kingdom.
John Swinney of the SNP, Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru and Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein signed the memorandum of understanding in Cardiff on Monday.
The agreement marks the first time the three parties have simultaneously held power in the U.K.’s devolved nations, following Plaid Cymru’s victory in the Welsh elections in May.
Coordinated Challenge to Westminster
The document said the political alignment showed Westminster’s authority was entering a new phase, declaring that “there could be no clearer sign that Westminster’s time is coming to an end.”
It said Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland believed “constitutional change is coming”, while acknowledging that each would pursue a different political route.
“Our nations have the right to self-determination. No Westminster government has the right to block democracy or undermine the principle that our people will decide their own future,” the agreement said.
The parties called on the British government to prepare for and facilitate constitutional change in each jurisdiction.
They also stressed that their constitutional objectives were not identical and that each nation would decide its future separately and on its own timetable.
“Historic” Agreement
Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald described the pact as “historic” at a joint press conference.
“It is that moment where we assert collectively our inalienable right to decide our futures,” she said.
Beyond constitutional questions, the agreement sets out plans for greater cooperation on economic growth and energy resources.
The parties pledged to reject what they described as Whitehall’s economic model and said their countries’ long-term future lay within the European Union.
Pressure Over Referendum Rules
The pact also seeks to increase pressure on Andy Burnham following his comments last week on the conditions under which another Scottish independence referendum could take place.
Burnham told the Commons that the trigger for a separation vote should involve “exactly the same situation in Scotland” as in Northern Ireland.
The Good Friday Agreement provides a potential route to an Irish reunification referendum if it appears likely that a majority in Northern Ireland would support leaving the U.K.
Swinney said Burnham’s remarks amounted to the first acceptance by a British prime minister since Scotland’s 2014 independence referendum that majority support for another vote should result in one being held.
Burnham reversed course a day later, telling Swinney that another referendum was “off limits.”
The Scottish first minister nevertheless used Monday’s press conference to sharpen the challenge to Westminster, saying he believed Burnham would be the final prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Ahmet Koçak
Ahmet Koçak is a news editor at Clash Report based in Istanbul. He previously served as Deputy Managing Editor at Türkiye Today, helping launch the digital news platform in 2023, and spent three years as Senior Editor at Daily Sabah. His work focuses on breaking news, geopolitics, international affairs, and digital journalism.
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