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The nationalist first ministers of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland signed a joint self-determination declaration Monday, calling on the U.K. government to prepare for constitutional change and declaring that "Westminster's time is coming to an end."
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney, Welsh First Minister and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, and Northern Ireland First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle O'Neill, marking the first time all three devolved nations have simultaneously had nationalist first ministers, following Plaid Cymru's victory in May's Welsh elections.
The declaration stated that the political landscape "is changing" and that, for the first time, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all have first ministers "who are all committed to independence from the U.K."
"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 declaration said.
"We recognize that our parties have different constitutional positions and that each nation will determine its own future in its own way and in its own time. We call for the British Government to prepare for, plan, and facilitate constitutional change in each jurisdiction," it added.
The leaders said they believe "the future of our nations belongs in the European Union" and outlined plans to reject what they called "Whitehall's broken economic model," sharing ideas on economic growth and expanding "our own energy resources."
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, who also signed the agreement, called it "historic."
"It is that moment where we assert collectively our inalienable right to decide our futures," she told a joint press conference, describing the gathering as "a presentation of where politics is at now" and "a wake-up call."
"We are here, and we're presenting ourselves in this collective way," she said.
Swinney said Prime Minister Andy Burnham's own political positions should logically lead him to support the devolved nations' right to self-determination.
"Fundamentally, if you follow the logic of all of (Burnham's) politics, (he) believes that issues are best resolved as close to people as they possibly can be," Swinney said, calling devolution to the regions a "hallmark" of Burnham's agenda.
"If you follow the logic of all of that, it leads you to the logic of recognizing the right of the people of Scotland, in my case, to decide their own future," he added.
Swinney called Monday's signing a "pivotal moment in the constitutional journey of the U.K." and demanded a Scottish independence referendum be held within the next five years.
He said it marked the first time since Burnham appeared to open the door to another Scottish vote, telling the House of Commons last week that Scotland faced "exactly the same situation" as Northern Ireland regarding a potential referendum trigger, that "a British prime minister accepts that majority support for a referendum should mean one takes place."
Burnham reportedly walked back those comments a day later, telling Swinney a referendum was "off limits."
Swinney told the press conference he nonetheless believed Burnham would be "the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom."
O'Neill called on both the UK and Irish governments to set a date for a Northern Ireland border poll by 2030.
"The Irish government also needs to step up. It needs to do more in terms of the planning and the preparation," she said.
"In the collective sense today, I think the message that we want No. 10 Downing Street to hear is that now is the time to do the preparation and the plan and to facilitate the arrangement for all of us in our respective ways," she added.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, a referendum on Irish reunification could be triggered if it "appears likely" that a majority in Northern Ireland would vote to leave the UK.
Ap Iorwerth struck a different tone, telling Sky News, "I've never been interested in the break-up of the U.K., I'm interested in building up Wales."
He said, "We have a very close and important relationship culturally across these islands that we want to maintain. We're talking here about having the tools to build a future for our people through the right of self-determination. It is a wholly positive outlook and vision that we have."
Ap Iorwerth said each nation has "different trajectories" and that the "timetable" for Welsh independence rests "in the hands of the people of Wales," but added that developments in one part of the UK are "inevitable" to influence opinion elsewhere in the country.
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