Celtic leaders sign pact urging Westminster to prepare for constitutional change
Leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland signed a memorandum in Cardiff calling on the UK government to plan for possible independence.
In a meeting in Cardiff, the heads of the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - John Swinney, Rhun ap Iorwerth and Michelle O’Neill - signed a memorandum of understanding with Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald. The Celtic Alliance pact calls on the UK government to "prepare for, plan and facilitate constitutional change" and stresses the right to self-determination for their peoples. The agreement has been described by foreign outlets as a landmark independence move and a potential step toward the United Kingdom's disintegration.
Reporters in India, France, Argentina, the United States, Switzerland and Spain have all covered the development, noting its unprecedented attention since the 2014 Scottish referendum. The leaders also linked their future aspirations to closer ties with the European Union. The meeting marks the most coordinated independence effort among the three nations to date.
Why it matters
The pact could reshape the United Kingdom's political structure and influence future independence movements.
How this story developed
- Sep 10 Piddington village to vote on symbolic independence over asylum seeker plan
- Sep 12 During a meeting with Irish leader Micheál Martin, Donald Trump said he would love to see Ireland become unified and believes it will eventually happen.
- Sep 12 Unionist leaders issued sharp criticism of Trump’s remarks.
- Sep 12 Leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will meet in Cardiff on Monday to sign a declaration calling for independence referendums and the dissolution of the United Kingdom.
- Sep 13 The leaders are presenting the Cardiff gathering as a party‑leader dialogue rather than a formal inter‑governmental summit.
- Sep 13 Trump reiterated his support for a united Ireland at a press briefing at his Doonbeg resort.
- Sep 13 Mary Lou McDonald attended the Cardiff signing and DUP deputy Emma Little‑Pengelly denied O’Neill’s authority to represent Northern Ireland’s first‑ministerial office.
- Sep 14 Trump announced the United States would drop tariffs on Irish whiskey.
- Sep 15 Leaders signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the UK government to prepare independence referendums for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Sep 15 A group of Piddington women sent an urgent letter to female MPs warning about the impending influx of male asylum seekers.
- Sep 16 The Home Office launched a public consultation on the proposed asylum‑seeker housing scheme.
- Sep 16 A second symbolic independence referendum was held, producing a 285‑26‑1 result.
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