Party leaders from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland meet in Cardiff and sign a memorandum of understanding calling on the UK government to prepare for constitutional change

China News Service, September 15. According to reports from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the British "Guardian" and other foreign media, on September 14, local time, the leaders of the three political parties in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland met in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and signed a memorandum of understanding, calling on the British government to prepare for possible constitutional changes and recognize the "right to self-determination" of all parties.

Image source: Screenshot of the British "Guardian" report

This rare coordination among the three parties was regarded by foreign media as "the latest signal that local nationalist forces in the UK are jointly putting pressure on London."

A rare "joint effort" between the three parties

According to reports from AFP and other foreign media, the three parties signed a memorandum of understanding, calling on the British government to "prepare" for constitutional changes, declaring that "the era of Westminster is coming to an end" and calling on the British government to recognize the "right to self-determination" of all parties.

The report pointed out that the three major parties signing the document are the Scottish National Party, the Welsh National Party and Sinn Féin.

It is worth noting that according to analysis by foreign media such as Agence France-Presse, what is special about this operation is that this is the first time that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are simultaneously at the helm of political forces advocating separation from the United Kingdom or promoting "Irish reunification".

However, the three parties are not trying to immediately promote a "three-place independence referendum". Instead, they are trying to form a common position on issues such as economy, energy, and relations with Europe through joint actions, and to exert political pressure on London.

The document reads, "We believe that constitutional change is coming. Therefore, we commit to strengthening cooperation among political parties and finding areas of practical cooperation where we can work together and have a substantial impact."

Agence France-Presse also pointed out that although the three parties all hope to change the existing British constitutional structure, there are obvious differences in the specific paths and timetables.

According to analysis, among them, the Scottish National Party has the clearest goal; in contrast, the Welsh National Party’s demands at this stage focus more on expanding autonomy; the Northern Ireland Sinn Féin party’s goal is to promote “Irish unity” and hopes to prepare for a possible future unity referendum.

According to the report, with prior authorization from the British government, Scotland held a referendum on whether to leave the United Kingdom in September 2014. In the end, 55% opposed and 45% supported the decision to remain in the United Kingdom. After the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union through a referendum in 2016, Scotland's independence sentiment once surged. In November 2022, the British Supreme Court ruled that Scotland may not hold a referendum on the issue of leaving the United Kingdom without authorization from the British government.

London won’t “relent” yet

According to the Financial Times, in the face of the joint actions of the three places, the Burnham government did not accept its judgment that "constitutional change is coming."

According to the Associated Press, the British government said it will continue to work with local governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to promote deeper decentralization, but will not accept calls for further independence referendums.

According to Reuters, British Prime Minister Burnham’s previous statements on the issues of Scottish independence and Northern Ireland unity reflected a stance that “acknowledges democratic demands in principle but sets thresholds in reality.”

He has said that the political logic of the Scottish independence referendum and the Northern Ireland unity referendum are comparable, but for Northern Ireland, he has made it clear that there is not enough public support at present, so a new unity referendum will not be held.

His office later reiterated that this position had not changed.

According to the report, judging from the actual conditions, this tripartite "joint effort" is more like a political pressure and issue integration, and there is still a long way to go before the UK truly disintegrates.

The Financial Times believes that this is the first time that the leadership of the three places has been dominated by political forces that advocate breaking the existing alliance structure in the UK. It also means that the issue of "decentralization" and national unity in the UK may be further intertwined in the future.