Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will jointly demand that the United Kingdom grant them the right to hold independence referendums, according to a report by The Telegraph. The three nations' leaders are expected to present a joint declaration in Cardiff, Wales.
The summit will bring together the leaders of the three nations for the first time to coordinate an agenda on self-determination. John Swinney of the Scottish National Party, Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru, and Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin are due to attend, alongside Mary Lou McDonald, president of Sinn Féin and leader of the opposition in the Republic of Ireland.
The attendees plan to sign a memorandum of understanding covering the economy, energy, Europe, international cooperation and self-determination, The Telegraph reported.
The gathering is significant because, for the first time since Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland's devolved institutions were created, all three nations are now led by parties that favour independence or a fundamental change to their constitutional ties with the UK.
EU membership and a united Ireland
The document proposes that Scotland and Wales could join the European Union as new member states, while Northern Ireland would become part of a united Ireland. The proposal would mark coordinated political action by forces seeking to change the current relationship with Westminster, the seat of the UK government in London.
Wales seeks more powers
For Wales, Plaid Cymru is also demanding greater control over taxation, public spending, policing and rail funding. The party wants revenue that the Crown collects from seabed resources, including offshore wind farms, to go to Wales instead.
Plaid Cymru also wants to replace the Barnett formula, the long-standing mechanism used to calculate public spending for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a system it argues would be more favourable to Wales. Although the Welsh government does not plan to hold an independence referendum during its first term, it is proposing a national dialogue and a commission to prepare the ground for future decisions.
Swinney challenges Burnham
John Swinney increased pressure on Westminster ahead of the meeting, directing a pointed message at Andy Burnham, mayor of Manchester and one of the Labour figures mentioned in the debate over the UK's territorial future. Swinney said that for the first time in history, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were led by pro-independence first ministers, and that there could be no clearer signal that the status quo was unsustainable and that Westminster had to prepare for a future after the UK's independence.
The SNP leader also said Burnham could go down in history as the last prime minister of the United Kingdom, and argued that independence would be the starting point for a new relationship between the nations of the isles.
Burnham had previously said another Scottish referendum could take place if there were clear public support for one, drawing a comparison to the conditions set out for Northern Ireland under the Good Friday Agreement. He later clarified that independence and another referendum were off the table before the next general election, and noted that the Labour Party does not support independence or another vote.
Scotland's 2014 independence referendum ended with 55% voting to remain in the UK and 45% voting for independence.
Trump's comments on Irish unity
The debate also gained momentum from Ireland. Donald Trump, during a visit to Dublin, said he would love to see a united Ireland and described a possible reunification as fantastic. The US president added that the UK would have something to say about the matter.
His remarks drew criticism from unionist leaders in Northern Ireland. Gavin Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, opposed any break-up of the UK through unification with the Republic of Ireland. Emma Little-Pengelly, the party's deputy leader, also questioned Michelle O'Neill's participation in the Cardiff summit.
The Good Friday Agreement, the 1998 accord that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland, allows for a referendum on reunification if it appears likely that a majority of Northern Ireland's population would support it. Any reunification would also need to be approved separately by voters in the Republic of Ireland.
