UK faces break-up threat as three nations demand self-rule

Leaders of the main Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh nationalist parties on Monday declared their right to choose whether to remain in the UK, at a rare meeting in Cardiff, according to The PUNCH.

The Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein signed a memorandum stating: “Our nations have the right to self-determination. 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 said the parties were “absolutely united” by that principle, noting all three now lead their respective governments for the first time since devolution began in 1999.

The meeting followed Donald Trump’s comments backing a united Ireland, which Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill said proved “the unity debate is very much alive.” The parties, however, differ on timing, with the SNP seeking a fresh referendum, Sinn Fein pushing for Irish reunification, and Plaid Cymru favouring independence in the longer term.