Leaders of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland unite for self-determination

Leaders of nationalist parties from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland say Westminster has ‘no right’ to block democracy.

From left: Sinn Fein Vice-President and First Minister for the North of Ireland Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald, Leader of Plaid Cymru Rhun ap Iorwerth and Leader of the Scottish National Party and First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney ahead of a meeting between leaders of nationalist parties in Cardiff, Wales, and Belfast, September 14, 2026 [Jon Rowley/EPA]

The leaders of the main political parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have declared their right to “self determination” in a joint agreement signed at a rare meeting in the Welsh capital, Cardiff.

All three parties – the Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru in Wales and the pro-Irish unity Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland – want greater autonomy and eventually independence from the UK, but have different views on issues such as referendums and timelines.

list 1 of 3 ‘War on terror’: How 9/11 changed the language of conflict

list 2 of 3 9/11 at 25: How the ‘War on Terror’ helped mainstream Europe’s far right

list 3 of 3 Trump says a unified Ireland would be ‘fantastic’ during Irish visit

The SNP’s John Swinney, Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill and Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth attended in their capacity as party leaders, rather than as officials in their respective governments.

Laura McAllister from Cardiff University told Al Jazeera that the wording of the agreement was “deliberately” couched in the broader “constitutional language of self-determination”.

“This is the first time that the nations of the United Kingdom are attempting to drive the constitutional question,” she said. “They also covered some of the more practical policy areas where they may wish to share stances, such as renewable energy, relationships with Europe, economic development.”

What does the three-party joint agreement say exactly?

“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,” they said on Monday, referring to the UK-wide parliament in London.

“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 of understanding continued.

“The future of our nations belongs in the European Union … For people watching across these islands – for people watching around the world – there could be no clearer sign that Westminster’s time is coming to an end.

“Momentum is behind our movements; we believe that constitutional change is coming,” the agreement said.

What has the UK PM said on pro-independence movements?

Sinn Fein wants Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland.

The forum happened after US President Donald Trump weighed in on a potential breakup of the UK. He told reporters that a unified Ireland would be “fantastic” during a visit to Ireland on Saturday. “Now the UK will have something to say about it … but I think it would be a great thing,” he added.

Indeed, Prime Minister Andy Burnham had something to say on Trump’s comment – that his position on Irish unification remained unchanged.

On August 27, Britain’s newly-elected leader said a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the UK was “off the table”.

Burnham has also dashed hopes among some for a second vote on Scottish independence, saying recently that another referendum was “off limits”.

What is the legal status of the three regions?

Constitutionally, the UK has four constituent countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Within these four jurisdictions there are three legal systems:

England and Wales have a combined legal system.

Scotland operates as a distinct legal system based on Scots law.

Northern Ireland has its own distinct, independent legal system based on English common law and its own legislation.

Power is shared in a system known as devolution, unlike in the federal system of the United States or Germany. It means power is not constitutionally divided on an equal basis between a central government and the four nations.

Elected institutions have some powers with their own legislatures and governments, but defence and foreign affairs, among other issues, remain controlled by London.

Crucially, none of the states has the right to unilaterally leave the UK.

Scotland held an independence referendum in 2014 after Westminster gave the green light. Independence was rejected by 55 percent to 45 percent. Wales similarly has no existing legal mechanism allowing the Senedd (Welsh parliament) to call an independence referendum on its own.

For Northern Ireland, the rules are different . Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the British government must call a referendum if the UK secretary for Northern Ireland believes it is “likely” that a majority would vote for a united Ireland.

Has the mood for greater autonomy grown?

Recent polling points to significant, though varying, support for constitutional change.

A Survation poll found 47 percent backing Scottish independence, while a University of Liverpool survey found 36 percent in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish reunification.

In Wales, a Survation poll put support for independence at 32 percent.

“Plaid Cymru was elected with heavy emphasis on avoiding the issue of independence,” explained McAllister. “The situation in Scotland is very different” and “fundamentally” so in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, she added, describing Monday’s meeting as “very tactical and very strategic”.

来自苏格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰的民族主义政党领导人表示，威斯敏斯特“无权”阻挠民主进程。

从左至右：新芬党副主席兼北爱尔兰首席部长米歇尔·奥尼尔、新芬党主席玛丽·卢·麦克唐纳、威尔士党领袖伦·阿普·伊奥沃斯、苏格兰民族党领袖兼苏格兰首席部长约翰·斯威尼，在威尔士卡迪夫和贝尔法斯特举行的民族主义政党领导人会议前合影，2026年9月14日。[Jon Rowley/EPA]

苏格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰主要政党的领导人在威尔士首府卡迪夫举行的一次罕见会议上签署了一项联合协议，宣布他们拥有“自决权”。

这三个政党——苏格兰民族党（SNP）、威尔士党（Plaid Cymru）和北爱尔兰支持爱尔兰统一的新芬党（Sinn Fein）——都希望获得更大的自治权，并最终脱离英国独立，但在公投和时间表等问题上持有不同的看法。

列表 1/3 “反恐战争”：9/11事件如何改变了冲突的语言

列表 2/3 9/11事件25周年：反恐战争如何助长了欧洲极右翼势力的主流化

特朗普访问爱尔兰期间表示，统一的爱尔兰将“非常棒”（共3条，此为第3条）。

苏格兰民族党的约翰·斯威尼、新芬党的米歇尔·奥尼尔和威尔士党的伦·阿普·伊奥沃斯均以党魁身份出席，而非以各自政府官员身份出席。

卡迪夫大学的劳拉·麦卡利斯特告诉半岛电视台，该协议的措辞是“刻意”采用更广泛的“自决宪法语言”来表达的。

她说：“这是英国各地区首次尝试主导宪法问题。他们还讨论了一些他们可能希望达成共识的更实际的政策领域，例如可再生能源、与欧洲的关系以及经济发展。”

三方联合协议的具体内容是什么？

“我们各国都享有自决权。任何威斯敏斯特政府都无权阻挠民主进程，或破坏人民决定自身未来的原则，”他们周一表示，这里指的是位于伦敦的英国议会。

“有史以来第一次，这些岛屿上的苏格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰的首席部长都致力于脱离英国独立，”谅解备忘录继续说道。

“我们国家的未来属于欧盟……对于这些岛屿上的人们——对于全世界的人们来说——这无疑是威斯敏斯特时代即将结束的最明显迹象。”

“我们的行动势头强劲；我们相信宪法变革即将到来，”协议中写道。

英国首相就支持独立的运动发表了哪些言论？

新芬党希望北爱尔兰脱离英国，加入统一的爱尔兰。

此次论坛召开之前，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普就英国可能解体的问题发表了看法。他在周六访问爱尔兰期间告诉记者，统一的爱尔兰将“非常棒”。他补充说：“英国对此肯定会有话说……但我认为这将是一件好事。”

事实上，爱尔兰总理安迪·伯纳姆对特朗普的言论做出了回应——他表示自己对爱尔兰统一的立场没有改变。

8月27日，英国新当选的领导人表示，就北爱尔兰脱离英国举行全民公投“不在考虑范围内”。

伯纳姆最近还表示，再次举行苏格兰独立公投“是不可能的”，这让一些人对再次举行苏格兰独立公投的希望破灭了。

这三个地区的法律地位是什么？

从宪法角度来看，英国由四个组成地区组成：英格兰、威尔士、苏格兰和北爱尔兰。在这四个司法管辖区内，存在三种法律体系：

英格兰和威尔士采用联合法律体系。

苏格兰实行以苏格兰法律为基础的独立法律体系。

北爱尔兰拥有独立自主的法律体系，该体系以英国普通法为基础，并拥有自己的立法。

权力在一种被称为权力下放的体系中共享，这与美国或德国的联邦制不同。这意味着权力并非在宪法上按照中央政府与四个自治邦之间的平等比例分配。

民选机构拥有一定的权力，拥有自己的立法机构和政府，但国防和外交事务等问题仍然由伦敦控制。

至关重要的是，任何一个州都无权单方面退出英国。

2014年，在威斯敏斯特议会批准后，苏格兰举行了独立公投。独立公投以55%对45%的投票结果被否决。同样，威尔士目前也没有现行的法律机制允许威尔士议会（Senedd）自行发起独立公投。

对于北爱尔兰而言，规则有所不同。根据1998年《贝尔法斯特协议》（又称《耶稣受难日协议》）的条款，如果英国北爱尔兰事务大臣认为多数人“可能”会投票支持爱尔兰统一，英国政府必须举行全民公投。

人们是否越来越渴望更大的自主权？

近期民调显示，尽管存在差异，但民众对宪法改革的支持率很高。

Survation 的一项民意调查发现，47% 的人支持苏格兰独立，而利物浦大学的一项调查发现，北爱尔兰有 36% 的人会投票支持爱尔兰统一。

在威尔士，Survation 的一项民意调查显示，支持独立的人数为 32%。

麦卡利斯特解释说：“威尔士党当选时非常注重回避独立问题。”她补充道：“苏格兰的情况截然不同”，北爱尔兰和爱尔兰共和国的情况也“从根本上”不同。她形容周一的会议“既具有战术性，又具有战略性”。