Leaders of three major nationalist parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have declared that their nations have the right to decide whether to remain part of the United Kingdom.
The leaders of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru in Wales and Sinn Féin, which campaigns for Irish reunification, made the declaration on Monday at a rare meeting in Cardiff, the Welsh capital.
The meeting came days after United States President Donald Trump expressed support for a united Ireland, prompting Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, to say the debate over Irish unity was “very much alive”.
In a memorandum of understanding signed by the parties, the leaders said their nations had the right to self-determination and that no government in Westminster should be able to block their people from deciding their political future.
“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,” the memorandum stated.
SNP leader John Swinney, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and deputy leader O’Neill attended the meeting in their capacities as party leaders rather than as government officials.
Swinney and ap Iorwerth are the first ministers of Scotland and Wales respectively, while O’Neill serves as Northern Ireland’s first minister.
Swinney said the three parties were “absolutely united” around the principle of self-determination, describing it as the central principle of the agreement.
“For the first time ever, people across these islands have first ministers in Scotland, in Wales and in the North of Ireland who are all committed to independence from the United Kingdom,” the memorandum said.
It also stated that the parties believed the future of their respective nations belonged in the European Union.
The nationalist parties have strengthened their positions in recent years. The SNP and Plaid Cymru are the largest independence-supporting parties in the Scottish and Welsh parliaments respectively, while Sinn Féin remains the largest party in Northern Ireland.
