The leaders of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will meet on Monday to discuss plans for the breakup of the United Kingdom, according to the Report.
First Ministers John Swinney of Scotland, Rhun ap Iowerth of Wales, and Michelle O’Neill of Northern Ireland are expected to sign a joint declaration demanding the right to hold referendums on breaking away from the UK. For the first time, the three constituent nations of the UK are held by pro-separation parties
According to the report sources as saying that the summit's purpose is to pile more pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham after he said in the parliament on Wednesday that he would back another Scottish independence referendum if public opinion backed one.
A source close to Swinney told the newspaper that Burnham "fucked up" by making the comment and unionists should be very worried.
In the UK, unionists are those who support the union of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales with England in UK, whereas parties like Sinn Féin (Northern Ireland), Scottish National Party (SNP), and Plaid Cymru (Wales) support the breakup of the UK.
The source further said: "Burnham has not read his brief and doesn’t seem to know the basics of the UK Government’s position on the Union. If I was a Unionist, I would be very worried."
'Burnham to go down as final prime minister of UK'
Ahead of the summit, Swinney said that Burnham was "facing up to the idea that he will go down in history as the final prime minister of the United Kingdom".
Swinney said that that, for the first time, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are led by pro-independence parties, and "there could be no clearer sign that the status quo is not sustainable and that Westminster must prepare for a post-UK future".
"The momentum behind serious constitutional change is undeniable. Andy Burnham must now be facing up to the idea that he will go down in history as the final prime minister of the United Kingdom. Tomorrow in Cardiff, I am looking forward to discussing a better future with partners from across these islands and that only comes with the fresh start of independence," Swinney further said.
After the statement in the parliament that the separatists latched on to, Burnham sought to set the record straight and wrote to Swinney to say that a referendum was off the table as long as he remained the prime minister.
Burnham told Swinney in a letter that the 2024 manifesto of the Labour Party was unambiguous.
"Labour does not support independence or another referendum. As I made clear to you personally when we met recently in Glasgow, independence and a referendum are off limits as it would take our focus away from growing the economy and helping families with the cost of living," Burnham said in the letter.
The separatist movements in the UK have picked up pace lately as US President Donald Trump has ramped up his anti-British campaign. After threatening to back Argentina in the campaign to wrest the Falkland Islands off the UK, he has now supported Northern Ireland's separation from the UK and merger with Ireland.
Source: Firstpost