Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland sign pact asserting right to independence from UK

The nationalist leaders of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland signed a historic memorandum of understanding in Cardiff on September 14, 2026, asserting their right to self-determination and calling on Westminster to plan for constitutional change. The pact, signed by John Swinney, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Mary Lou McDonald, and Michelle O'Neill, emphasizes that their nations' futures belong in the EU. Downing Street dismissed the symbolic agreement, stating Prime Minister Andy Burnham remains committed to the union.

Scotland-Wales-Northern Ireland independence pact

• ▪The Cardiff memorandum of understanding was signed by Scottish National Party leader John Swinney, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald, and Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill
• ▪The memorandum of understanding signed in Cardiff on September 14, 2026, calls on the UK government to prepare for, plan, and facilitate constitutional change in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
• ▪The leaders of the main nationalist parties in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland signed a joint memorandum of understanding in Cardiff on September 14, 2026, asserting their nations' right to self-determination
• ▪The Cardiff agreement carries no legal force, sets no timetable, and does not grant Scotland or Wales the unilateral power to call independence referendums

Trump comments on Irish reunification

• ▪Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill stated that US President Donald Trump's comments on Irish reunification showed that the unity debate is very much alive
• ▪During a visit to his golf course hosting the Irish Open, US President Donald Trump stated on September 12, 2026, that he would "love to see" a united Ireland

European Union membership aspirations

• ▪The nationalist parties of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland committed in their pact to cooperate on the economy, energy, and international relations, citing Brexit as damaging to their economies
• ▪The memorandum of understanding signed by the nationalist leaders asserts that the future of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland belongs in the European Union

UK government dismisses breakup threat

• ▪Downing Street spokesperson Tom Wells stated that UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham strongly believes in the union and is focused on lowering the cost of living rather than constitutional debates
• ▪UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham wrote a letter to Scottish First Minister John Swinney stating that a second Scottish independence referendum is "off limits."
• ▪Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party accused First Minister Michelle O'Neill of weaponizing her office by signing the Cardiff agreement

First pro-independence devolved governments

• ▪The September 2026 meeting in Cardiff marked the first time that the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland were all led simultaneously by pro-independence or pro-unification parties
• ▪Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Welsh Senedd in the May 2026 elections, ending the Labour Party's unbroken run in the Welsh government since 1999

Debatable claims

• ▪The UK government should allow Scotland to hold a second independence referendum
• ▪The Cardiff pact will accelerate the breakup of the United Kingdom
• ▪Michelle O'Neill's signing of the Cardiff pact compromised her role as Northern Ireland's First Minister