Leaders of Scotland’s, Wales’ and Northern Ireland’s main nationalist parties have reaffirmed their right to determine their nations’ futures, including the possibility of leaving the United Kingdom.
The leaders of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin made the declaration on Monday following a rare meeting in Cardiff, the Welsh capital.
The three parties signed a memorandum of understanding stating that their nations have the right to self-determination and that no UK government should be able to block their people from deciding their constitutional future.
“Our nations have the right to self-determination,” the memorandum said. “No Westminster government has the right to block democracy or undermine the principle that our people will decide their own future.”
SNP leader John Swinney, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, and Sinn Féin leaders Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill attended the meeting as party leaders rather than in their official government capacities.
Swinney said the parties were “absolutely united” around the principle of self-determination.
“For the first time ever, people across these islands have first ministers in Scotland, in Wales and in the North of Ireland who are all committed to independence from the United Kingdom,” the agreement stated.
It also declared that “the future of our nations belongs in the European Union.”
The meeting came days after US President Donald Trump expressed support for a united Ireland, prompting O’Neill to say that the debate over Irish unity remained “very much alive.”
Different Paths to Independence
Although the three parties share the goal of ending their nations’ constitutional ties with the UK, they differ significantly over the timing and process.
The SNP is seeking a second Scottish independence referendum after voters rejected independence in 2014. Successive UK governments have so far refused to authorise an immediate repeat vote.
Sinn Féin, meanwhile, is campaigning for a referendum on Irish reunification, which would determine whether Northern Ireland should remain part of the UK or join the Republic of Ireland.
Plaid Cymru supports Welsh independence as a longer-term objective, although ap Iorwerth has said he does not intend to push for an immediate referendum.
The nationalist parties currently hold significant positions in their respective devolved institutions. They have been the largest parties in the Scottish and Welsh parliaments since the latest elections, while Sinn Féin has been the largest party in Northern Ireland’s assembly since 2022.
The devolved governments have powers over areas including health, education, housing, transport and the environment, as well as certain taxation matters.
The agreement described the gathering as a powerful political signal to Westminster.
“For people watching across these islands — for people watching around the world — there could be no clearer sign that Westminster’s time is coming to an end,” it said.
The question of Irish unity is governed in part by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which helped bring an end to decades of sectarian and political violence in Northern Ireland.
Under the agreement, a referendum on Irish unity can be held if the UK government’s Northern Ireland secretary believes it is likely that a majority would vote to join the Republic of Ireland.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald recently criticised British Prime Minister Andy Burnham after he said a referendum on Irish unity was “off the table”.
McDonald argued that the prime minister had no authority to remove provisions contained in the Good Friday Agreement. Burnham subsequently clarified his position in parliament.
On Scotland, Burnham has indicated that another independence referendum could take place if there were a “clear consensus” for one north of the border, although he has also reportedly told Swinney that such a vote remains off limits for now.
Despite their differences, the Cardiff meeting marked a rare show of unity among the three nationalist movements and renewed their calls for their respective peoples to determine their own constitutional futures.
