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Break-Up Fears Grip UK as Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland Leaders Plot New Constitutional Front
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Leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to meet in Cardiff on Monday in an unprecedented summit that could intensify calls for greater autonomy and a potential break-up of the United Kingdom.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney, Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iowerth and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill are expected to discuss a joint approach to constitutional reform, including the right of their respective nations to determine their own futures.
They will be joined by Mary Lou McDonald, president of Sinn Féin and leader of the opposition in the Republic of Ireland.
The meeting at the St David’s Hotel overlooking Cardiff Bay is expected to focus on four broad areas: the economy, energy, relations with Europe and the wider international community, and self-determination.
The leaders are also expected to endorse a joint declaration asserting the democratic right of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to determine their constitutional futures, potentially including independence referendums.
The gathering comes amid growing pressure for a major overhaul of the UK’s constitutional structure and greater powers for the devolved nations.
‘Status quo is not sustainable’
Swinney, whose Scottish National Party (SNP) has long campaigned for Scottish independence, has described the meeting as evidence of a fundamental shift in the political landscape.
“For the first time ever, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are led by pro-independence first ministers,” he said, arguing that the development showed that the existing constitutional arrangement was becoming unsustainable.
“The momentum behind serious constitutional change is undeniable,” Swinney added.
He has also suggested that Westminster must prepare for a future in which the United Kingdom’s current structure could fundamentally change.
Independence and Irish unity
The summit could give fresh momentum to separate constitutional campaigns across the three nations.
In Scotland, the SNP continues to press for another independence referendum, while Plaid Cymru is seeking greater autonomy for Wales.
Northern Ireland’s Sinn Féin, meanwhile, is campaigning for Irish reunification under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Sinn Féin is expected to use Monday’s meeting to argue that preparations for a referendum on Irish unity should begin now.
A party source said the agreement provided a democratic route for Northern Ireland to determine its future and that Irish unity should no longer be treated as a distant possibility.
Wales demands more powers
For Wales, the talks are also expected to focus on demands for greater control over taxation, public spending, policing and rail infrastructure.
Plaid Cymru is particularly pushing for Wales to receive revenues generated from the Crown Estate, including income from seabed areas used for offshore wind projects, rather than having the money transferred to the UK Treasury.
The party has argued that closer cooperation among the three devolved nations could deliver practical benefits while strengthening their collective bargaining position with Westminster.
Burnham pushes back
The growing constitutional debate has also drawn attention from Andy Burnham, who has previously indicated that another Scottish independence referendum could potentially be considered if there were a clear public consensus.
However, Burnham has since insisted that another referendum is not on the table before the next UK general election.
In a letter to Swinney, he said there was no clear consensus for Scottish independence and no evidence that a majority in Northern Ireland currently wanted to leave the United Kingdom.
Burnham also pointed to Labour’s 2024 election manifesto, which stated that the party did not support Scottish independence or another referendum.
He argued that reopening the issue would distract from the government’s priorities of economic growth and tackling the cost-of-living .
Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has revealed that the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, has profoundly changed her feelings towards Nigeria, saying she no longer wants to return to the country.
Adichie made the disclosure in an interview with The New York Times, where she was asked whether Nigeria still felt close to her heart.
“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed,” the award-winning author said, before adding, “I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”
Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twin sons, died in December 2025 following a medical emergency at Euracare in Nigeria.
According to Adichie, Nkanu initially developed a fever and was placed on antibiotics by her husband, Ivara Esege. However, when his condition failed to improve, he was taken to hospital for further medical evaluation.
She said her son was sedated with propofol during an MRI before suffering cardiac arrest and dying the following day.
Recounting the devastating experience, Adichie said a doctor approached her after the procedure and told her: “Well, look, they gave him too much Propofol.”
“That was his exact words, which I will never forget until the day I die,” she recalled.
Adichie had previously raised allegations of medical negligence concerning her son’s treatment. The circumstances surrounding Nkanu’s death are currently the subject of a coroner’s inquest, amid disagreements between the family and the hospital over what happened.
The author said her children could ultimately be the only reason she would consider returning to Nigeria, noting that her daughter still regards the country as her “happy place.”
Reflecting on the loss of her son, Adichie described her grief as surreal.
“I mean, it is so surreal, all of this. I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died,” she said.
“You’re going through something, but you also feel like you’re outside of it.”
One person has died and four others have been rescued after a four-storey building under construction collapsed on Ogbalu Street, Independence Layout, Enugu State.
The building reportedly caved in at about 6 a.m. on Sunday, trapping workers who were sleeping at the construction site.
Rescue teams recovered the body of one worker from the rubble, while four others were pulled out alive and taken to the Enugu State Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
According to the Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority, six people were sleeping at the site when the building collapsed. One of them, however, had stepped out shortly before the incident.
Emergency responders, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigerian Red Cross Society, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority and the police, have joined the rescue operation.
Officials are yet to determine what caused the structure to collapse.
The incident has renewed concerns over compliance with building regulations, construction standards and safety measures at building sites across Enugu and other parts of Nigeria.
Building collapses remain a recurring safety concern in the country, with poor construction practices, use of substandard materials, weak supervision and failure to comply with approved building standards often cited among the factors that can contribute to structural failures.
Authorities are expected to investigate the Enugu collapse and establish whether any construction or regulatory violations were involved.
The remains of the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bamanga Tukur, were laid to rest in his hometown, Yola, Adamawa State, on Sunday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the burial, conducted according to Islamic rites, was led by the Chief Imam of Modibbo Adama Central Mosque, Yola, Ahmadu Bobboi, at 10:50 am.
His remains were buried in the family house at Fadde-Sanda, Abuja Road, Yola, at 11:30 am.
Tukur died on Saturday at the age of 91 in Abuja.
On Saturday, President Bola Tinubu mourned Tukur’s death, describing him as a prominent figure in Nigeria’s political and economic history.
Tukur was a former governor of the old Gongola State and Minister of Industries.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu described Tukur as a “towering figure” whose career spanned public administration, governance, industry, politics and pan-African business leadership.
Tukur is survived by two wives and 18 children, among them the Secretary to the State Government of Adamawa, Awwal Tukur.
The funeral prayers were attended by Aliko Dangote, Adamawa State Governor. Ahmadu Fintiri; Sen. Iya Abbas, representing Adamawa Central; and former Governor Jibrilla Bindow.
Others were traditional leaders and other dignitaries across the state and beyond.
NAN
‘I Don’t Want to Return to Nigeria’ — Chimamanda Adichie Speaks After Son’s Death
Break-Up Fears Grip UK as Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland Leaders Plot New Constitutional Front
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