Leaders of the main pro-independence parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to meet in Cardiff on Monday for rare talks aimed at strengthening their campaigns for greater self-determination and constitutional change.
The meeting brings together Scottish National Party leader John Swinney, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill. The parties said they would explore ways to cooperate on issues including the economy, energy and relations with Europe and the wider international community.
Push for constitutional change
The three leaders are also expected to call on the British government to prepare for potential constitutional changes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In a joint statement, they said the parties would seek to identify practical areas where they could work together while continuing to pursue their respective constitutional goals.
The talks come at a politically sensitive moment for the United Kingdom. US President Donald Trump said last week that he would support a united Ireland, while British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out holding another vote on Northern Ireland’s constitutional status.
Scotland held an independence referendum in 2014, when voters rejected separation from the UK by a narrow margin. Successive British governments have since opposed calls for an immediate second referendum.
Separatist parties face a changing political landscape
Despite their prominent role in the independence debate, the pro-independence parties are no longer the largest political forces in the Scottish and Welsh parliaments. It is the first time since devolution began in 1999 that neither Scotland nor Wales has an independence-supporting party as its largest group.
In Northern Ireland, however, Sinn Féin has remained the largest party in the regional assembly since 2022.
The devolved governments have significant responsibilities in areas such as healthcare, education, housing, transport and the environment, while also exercising some powers over taxation.
The Cardiff meeting is therefore intended not only to reinforce the parties’ independence campaigns but also to explore closer cooperation between movements seeking greater autonomy from Westminster.
The talks could provide a new platform for coordination among Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at a time when questions over the future constitutional structure of the United Kingdom are becoming increasingly prominent.
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