Leaders from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to sign a deal Monday to initiate the process of break-up of the United Kingdom, The Telegraph reported.
This comes in the wake of remarks made by United States President Donald Trump during his visit to Dublin, wherein he said he would “love” to see a united Ireland.
Following the Labour Party’s loss in the elections in Wales in May, there are now pro-independence parties in power in all three of UK’s devolved nations – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – for the first time. In Wales, Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Cardiff Senedd in May, with Rhun ap Iowerth taking over as the first minister. Burnham made the remarks during Prime Minister’s questions, a convention in the UK where the PM spends 30 minutes answering questions from MPs every Wednesday afternoon.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham had also suggested to Members of Parliament (MPs) in the country that he would authorise another Scottish referendum if there were a “clear consensus” in favour of one, according to The Telegraph. Responding to an MP from the Scottish National Party (SNP) on the lack of formal secession mechanisms for Scotland compared to Northern Ireland, Burnham said a border poll in Northern Ireland is triggered when there is a clear public consensus. He said the “same situation” applies to Scotland.
Scottish first minister and SNP leader John Swinney, Wales’ Iowerth and O’Neill will be joined by Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein’s president and leader of opposition in Ireland, at the summit.
After Burnham’s remarks on the Scottish referendum, Swinney claimed the PM was “facing up to the idea that he will go down in history as the final prime minister of the United Kingdom.”
In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein won the Assembly elections in 2022. However, a walkout by the Democratic Unionist Party meant that Michelle O’Neill took over as first minister in 2024. Sinn Fein is expected to retain its hold on the votes in Northern Ireland next year, The Telegraph reported.
Meanwhile, the SNP also fortified its position as the dominant party in Scotland.
