00:00.
00:21The United Kingdom is facing a fresh constitutional storm.
00:26For the first time, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
00:31are all being led by parties that favour greater independence or constitutional change.
00:39And now, their leaders are meeting in Cardiff with a message for Westminster
00:44that could have major consequences for the future of the UK.
00:49The meeting comes just one day after US President Donald Trump
00:55said that a unified Ireland is going to happen eventually.
01:00Against that backdrop, leaders from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
01:05are gathering to strengthen cooperation and discuss what they describe as a changing constitutional landscape.
01:13The three first ministers are expected to call on the British government to prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change across
01:24the devolved nations.
01:26So, is the United Kingdom actually heading for a breakup?
01:31The answer, for now, is not yet.
01:35But politically, something significant has changed.
01:39In Scotland, Scottish National Party leader John Swindy remains at the centre of the independence debate.
01:47In Wales, PLID Kyme U emerged as the largest party in the Syned following the May elections, with Rune Ap
01:56Yorworth becoming First Minister.
01:59And in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin has already established itself as the dominant nationalist force, with Michelle O'Neill serving
02:10as First Minister.
02:11That means, for the first time, pro-independence or pro-unification forces are leading all three of the UK's devolved
02:21nations.
02:22And that is precisely why this Cardiff meeting matters.
02:26The leaders say their interests are not being adequately served by Westminster, and that people in Scotland, Wales and Northern
02:37Ireland should have a meaningful say over their constitutional future.
02:42But there is a major obstacle.
02:45Westminster is still resisting another Scottish independence referendum.
02:50The issue became even more complicated after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's recent comments.
02:58During Prime Minister's questions, Burnham suggested that Scotland and Northern Ireland could potentially consider votes if there was a clear
03:08consensus that public opinion had changed.
03:11That immediately triggered a political row, because while Northern Ireland has a legal mechanism for a potential border poll, Scotland
03:22does not have an equivalent statutory trigger.
03:25Burnham later clarified his position, saying Scottish independence and a referendum were off limits, and that he was simply pointing
03:35out that there is currently no consensus for another Scottish independence vote.
03:40But, SNP leader John Swinney has seized on the controversy.
03:46He has argued that Westminster needs to establish an agreed legal mechanism for a future Scottish referendum, and he has
03:56gone even further, saying the current constitutional arrangement is not sustainable.
04:02So, what happens next?
04:05The Cardiff summit does not itself trigger independence referendums.
04:10It does, however, signal closer cooperation between political forces that want a fundamental change in the UK's constitutional structure.
04:21And, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now under pro-independence leadership, the pressure on Westminster is becoming harder to
04:31ignore.
04:32The big question is no longer simply whether the UK can stay together.
04:38It is whether Westminster can find a political and legal way to answer growing demands for a different future,
04:47before the question of the United Kingdom's survival becomes impossible to avoid.
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