The first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have declared that “Westminster’s time is coming to an end”.
The nationalist leaders from Plaid Cymru, Sinn Féin and the SNP – who want their countries to leave the United Kingdom – signed an agreement on Monday which said no Westminster government had the right to “block democracy”.
But while Scotland’s John Swinney and Northern Ireland’s Michelle O’Neill called for referendums at a joint press conference, Wales’ Rhun ap Iorwerth declined to give a timetable for one in his country.
Labour and Reform accused Plaid of wanting to break up the UK.
Swinney and ap Iorwerth’s governments later backed a separate agreement agreed to work together on pressing UK government on “fairness” in funding and powers.
For the first time since devolution began, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have first ministers who want to leave the United Kingdom.
All three met on Monday as representatives of their parties. Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald also attended.
The memorandum of understanding said: “For people watching across these islands – for people watching around the world – there could be no clearer sign that Westminster’s time is coming to an end.
“No Westminster government has the right to block democracy or undermine the principle that our people will decide their own future.
“We recognise that our parties have different constitutional positions and that each nation will determine its own future in its own way and in its own time.”
Asked by BBC Wales to clarify what the memorandum of understanding meant for Wales, and whether it meant asking Westminster not to block a Welsh independence referendum, ap Iorwerth said it was “up to the people of Wales to decide its own future”.
Pressed further, he said: “The timescale will be set by the people of Wales when they are persuaded. My job is to persuade.”
The Welsh government does not have the power to hold such a referendum, but ap Iorwerth told the press conference he wanted to see that devolved.
Later on Monday, Swinney and ap Iorwerth signed an agreement between the Welsh and Scottish governments.
The agreement, which is not legally binding, said it would “press the case for greater fairness for Wales and Scotland in areas such as the operation of the UK funding arrangements and powers over our constitutional future”.
It said the two governments would work together on a range of issues, including tackling child poverty and maximising the benefits of their relationships with the European Union.
The dynamics in Wales are different from those in Scotland.
Ap Iorwerth, who was appointed the first non-Labour first minister of Wales after May’s Senedd election, had ruled out pushing for a referendum on Welsh independence during his party’s first term in government.
His government intends to set up a national commission to “lay the foundations” for future plans for Welsh independence.
In the meantime, Welsh ministers are seeking extra powers to be transferred to Wales, including over policing and youth justice – which Burnham has said he is “open” to the idea of.
Ap Iorwerth said Burnham had “a lot to learn” about “how devolution to a nation is rather different to devolution to a region or a city of England”.
“I want to have a positive relationship with him, I believe he wants to have a positive relationship with me,” he said.
The UK government said: “The prime minister is committed to delivering change across all four nations of the United Kingdom and believes strongly in the union.”
The devolved leaders will meet the prime minister next month.
Labour leader in Wales, Ken Skates, said: “Plaid have given people nothing since the election.
“They clearly want to use power to break up Britain, weaken Wales and spend their time obsessing over more powers for their politicians.”
Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Darren Millar said: “Instead of obsessing about independence, the first minister should be focused on dealing with the crisis engulfing the Welsh NHS and the declining standards in Welsh schools.”
Dan Thomas, Reform UK’s Welsh leader, said: “The first minister can’t get a grip of NHS waiting lists or our education system, but apparently has time to tell us what we all know. That he wants the break up the UK.”
