Nationalist Leaders Declare 'Westminster's Time Is Coming to an End'

The first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have declared that Westminster's time is coming to an end and that the UK government should prepare for constitutional change. The nationalist leaders of Plaid Cymru, Sinn Féin and the SNP, all of whom want their countries to leave the United Kingdom, signed an agreement on Monday stating that no Westminster government has the right to block democracy.

Scotland's John Swinney and Northern Ireland's Michelle O'Neill used a joint press conference to call for referendums. Wales' Rhun ap Iorwerth declined to give a timetable for one in his country. Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald also attended. Ap Iorwerth was due to hold further talks with Swinney later in the day in their roles as government leaders, with both expected to sign an agreement on future collaboration in areas of shared interest. For the first time since devolution began, all three nations have first ministers who want to leave the United Kingdom. All three met on Monday as representatives of their parties.

The memorandum of understanding stated: "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. No Westminster government has the right to block democracy or undermine the principle that our people will decide their own future." It added that the parties hold different constitutional positions and that each nation will determine its own future in its own way and in its own time.

A Plaid spokesperson said before the meeting that the changing political landscape across these islands made a strong case for practical political co-operation on energy, the economy and working with Europe. That, they said, extended to the wider political and constitutional questions facing the nations and the right to self-determination. Ap Iorwerth described May's Welsh election as a turning point for Wales and said there was growing recognition that the Westminster model is no longer working. Plaid has previously ruled out an independence referendum before the next Senedd election in 2030.

Swinney told Radio Wales Breakfast that it was a significant and pivotal moment for the United Kingdom and that things had changed forever. "The people of Scotland, Wales and Ireland have a right to self-determination," he said. "They are entitled to decide on their own future." O'Neill said the best interests of people across the island of Ireland had never been served by those in Westminster. "However, change is happening right across these islands and we must be ready for constitutional change when it comes," she said. She argued that the election of three nationalist first ministers for the first time was a clear indication that people see Westminster is not working for the North, Scotland or Wales.

McDonald told BBC Wales that the trajectory towards self-determination differed for each nation, describing the present climate as history-making times. "Obviously we have different national stories, but we have one very critical thing in common and that is our absolute insistence that it is for the people of Ireland to decide the future of Ireland, for the people of Scotland to decide the future of Scotland and for the people of Wales to decide the future of Wales," she said.

The meetings came days after Scottish independence resurfaced in the Commons. During Prime Minister's Questions, Andy Burnham appeared to indicate that a second referendum could be held in Scotland if there was clear public support for a vote. He compared the situation to the conditions for a border poll in Northern Ireland, explaining that the Good Friday Agreement made clear a poll would be considered by the Northern Ireland secretary when there was a clear consensus and public opinion had shifted to the point where the call had to be considered. "I would say that it is exactly the same situation in Scotland," he added. Swinney welcomed the apparent softening in tone before Burnham clarified that another Scottish referendum remained off limits. A referendum in September 2014 saw Scotland vote to remain part of the UK by 55% to 45%.

The dynamics in Wales differ from those in Scotland. Ap Iorwerth, appointed the first non-Labour first minister of Wales after May's Senedd election, has ruled out pushing for a referendum on Welsh independence during his party's first term, saying he wants to lead a national conversation on the issue. His government intends to establish a national commission to lay the foundations for future plans for Welsh independence. In the meantime, Welsh ministers are seeking extra powers, including over policing and youth justice. Burnham has said he is open to the idea.

In Northern Ireland, the first and deputy first ministers hold identical powers and responsibilities, and the Democratic Unionist Party's Emma Little-Pengelly is deputy first minister. She criticised O'Neill for attending Monday's talks. The UK government said the prime minister is committed to delivering change across all four nations and believes strongly in the union. The talks are likely to cover how the devolved nations are funded. Welsh ministers have long called for reform of the Barnett formula, claiming it disadvantages Wales, though it is argued that Scotland does well from it. Before becoming prime minister, Burnham made the case for change, but on his recent visit to Wales he played down the prospect of reform. The devolved leaders will meet the prime minister next month.

Chris Bryant, the MP for Rhondda and Northern Ireland secretary, said Plaid Cymru were meeting to talk about working towards breaking up the UK, adding that since winning power in Wales they could point to few achievements beyond translating Star Wars into Welsh and NHS waiting lists starting to climb again. Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said the first minister should focus on the crisis engulfing the Welsh NHS and declining standards in Welsh schools rather than obsessing about independence. Reform UK Wales said Plaid Cymru was showing its true colours by meeting Sinn Féin and the Scottish separatists.