The leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to meet on Monday in Cardiff to sign a joint declaration demanding the right to self-determination and to hold independence referendums.
The summit will bring together:
• John Swinney — First Minister of Scotland
• Rhun ap Iorwerth — First Minister of Wales / Plaid Cymru leader
• Michelle O'Neill — First Minister of Northern Ireland
The document is described as a "memorandum of understanding" or joint declaration asserting their nations' right to self-determination, in a coordinated challenge to the existing UK constitutional settlement.
Context for the meeting:
1. For the first time, all three devolved governments are led by pro-independence parties/leaders. Swinney said "there could be no clearer sign that the status quo is not sustainable".
2. It follows comments this week from Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who appeared to compare Scotland's position to Northern Ireland, where there is an agreed pathway to a border poll under the Good Friday Agreement. Downing Street later said independence remained "off limits".
3. Swinney is pushing for a Northern Ireland-style "agreed legal mechanism" for how a new independence vote would be triggered.
No agreement has been signed yet — the signing is planned for Monday in Cardiff. The UK Government has not agreed to grant referendum powers; the declaration at this stage is a political demand from the three leaders, not a legally binding secession process.