Irish, Scottish and Welsh leaders meet to plan the dissolution of the United Kingdom

The pro-independence prime ministers will sign a "memorandum of understanding" at the Cardiff summit and will demand referendums.

The leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will meet on Monday to sign an agreement intended to launch the process of dissolving the United Kingdom, reveals the Telegraph.

At an unprecedented summit in Cardiff, the three prime ministers will sign a joint declaration demanding the right to hold referendums on independence.

This meeting comes after Andy Burnham suggested to MPs that he would allow another Scottish referendum if there was a "clear consensus" in favour of it.

The summit will take place two days after Donald Trump said he would "love" to see a united Ireland. During a visit to Dublin on Saturday, he asserted that Northern Ireland's reunification with the Republic of Ireland would be "a great thing" and asked, "How could it be a bad thing?"

The US president intervened as nationalist leaders increased pressure on the prime minister, who has placed the devolution of powers in England at the heart of his agenda.

John Swinney, the SNP leader and Scottish First Minister, claimed that Mr. Burnham was "preparing himself for the idea that he would go down in history as the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom."

The defeat of the Labour Party in Wales in the May elections means that, for the first time, pro-independence parties are in power in all three devolved nations.

Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Cardiff Senedd, and its leader, Rhun ap Iowerth, became Prime Minister of the country.

Meanwhile, the SNP strengthened its dominant position in Scotland, despite losing six seats at Holyrood, while the Reform Party and the Greens made gains.

Sinn Féin won the Stormont election in 2022, but the DUP's withdrawal forced Michelle O'Neill to wait until 2024 to become Prime Minister. Sinn Féin is expected to retain a large majority in the next election next year.

The three leaders, joined by Mary Lou McDonald, president of Sinn Féin and leader of the opposition in Ireland, will meet at the five-star St David's Hotel, overlooking Cardiff Bay, to discuss collaboration on a new initiative for independence.

The status quo is not viable

Mr. Swinney said on Sunday: "For the very first time, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are led by pro-independence First Ministers. There is no clearer sign that the status quo is not sustainable and that Westminster must prepare for a post-UK future."

"The momentum for profound constitutional reform is undeniable. Andy Burnham must now prepare himself for the idea that he will go down in history as the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom."

"Tomorrow in Cardiff, I look forward to discussing a better future with partners from all these islands – and that will only be possible with a fresh start for independence."

It is understood that the three prime ministers will use the summit to sign a joint declaration affirming the right of their respective nations to self-determination.

Sources told the Telegraph that the aim was to increase pressure on Mr. Burnham, following his statement on Wednesday during Prime Minister's Questions that another Scottish independence referendum could be held if public opinion was in favour.

The Prime Minister told the House of Commons that the trigger for a vote on separation was "exactly the same situation in Scotland" as in Northern Ireland.

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a referendum on Irish reunification is possible. The agreement stipulates that a referendum should be held if it "appears likely" that a majority of Northern Irish voters would vote to leave the United Kingdom.

"If I were a unionist, I would be very worried."

"He [Mr. Burnham] made a blunder by using the Scottish position on Northern Ireland, and then he made another blunder this week by using the Northern Irish position on Scotland," said a source close to Mr. Swinney.

"Burnham hasn't read his brief and seems to be unaware of the fundamental principles of the British government's position on the Union. If I were a unionist, I would be very worried."

At the end of the discussions, during which they will sign a memorandum of understanding committing their parties to cooperate, the prime ministers will hold a press conference.

Their agreement will cover four areas: the economy, energy, Europe and international cooperation, and self-determination.

The three parties will agree that their respective nations should be part of the EU, with Scotland and Wales as new members and Northern Ireland as an integral part of the Republic of Ireland.

It is understood that the memorandum of understanding will also commit them to strengthening their relations with their European "neighbors" as part of their preparation for independence.

The part of the agreement devoted to the economy will argue that the British economic model does not work for the citizens of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Plaid Cymru is expected to use this meeting to pressure Mr. Burnham to grant the Welsh government greater powers over taxation and spending. The party is specifically calling for revenue from Crown lands, including that from the seabed where offshore wind farms are built, which currently goes to the Treasury.

The party also wants the Labour Party to replace the Barnett formula with a more generous agreement and to devolve more areas such as policing and rail funding.

A Plaid Cymru source said there were "strong arguments for concrete political cooperation in areas such as energy, the economy and our relations with Europe, as well as on the broader political and constitutional issues facing our nations and the right to self-determination."

"Our parties have much to gain from working together, as partners and on an equal footing, where we share common interests and where cooperation can improve the lives of the people we represent," the source added.

Irish unity is not a distant aspiration.

A Sinn Féin source indicated that the leaders would discuss "how each of our nations has the right to shape its own future through democratic means, guided by the will of its people."

"The Good Friday Agreement gives us the democratic means to decide, and the time has come to prepare ourselves seriously for that choice," they said.

"Irish unity is not a distant aspiration. The work of building the new Ireland must begin now."

In a letter to Mr. Swinney sent on Thursday, the Prime Minister insisted that a new referendum on Scottish independence was "out of the question" before the next general election.

He insisted that there was "no consensus in favour of an independence referendum in Scotland and there was no clear basis to suggest that a majority of people in Northern Ireland currently wish to separate from the United Kingdom."

Mr. Burnham wrote: "The 2024 election manifesto on which the Labour Party won its parliamentary majority was unambiguous: 'The Labour Party does not support independence or any further referendum.'"

"As I made perfectly clear to you personally during our recent meeting in Glasgow, independence and a referendum are out of the question because they would distract us from economic growth and from helping families cope with the cost of living."