The leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland met this Monday in Cardiff to sign a historic memorandum demanding joint referendums on independence from the United Kingdom — an unprecedented initiative that represents the greatest threat to British territorial integrity since 1922. John Swinney, Rhun ap Iorwerth and Michelle O'Neill signed the document on behalf of their respective independence parties, but met as party leaders and not as prime ministers, to avoid institutional confrontation with London. The pressure comes following Brexit, which the three territories approved in lower proportion than the British average, and includes the possibility of jointly requesting accession to the European Union. Prime Minister Andy Burnham reiterated the Labour government's opposition to referendums, stating that the executive prefers to focus on the economy rather than on "constitutional debates".
Jornal Económico15/09/26, 07:00