Donald Trump's support of united Ireland ignites nationalist plot to destroy UK

Donald Trump's recent bombshell comments about a united Ireland have ignited a plot to destroy the United Kingdom.

Scottish National Party leader John Swinney, Plaid Cymru chief Rhun ap Iorwerth and Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill are set to meet in Cardiff, where they are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding pushing for independence referendums in their respective countries.

The trio will meet in their capacity as party leaders, rather than as officials in their respective governments.

Successive UK governments have been consistently against the holding of referendums on separation since the 2014 vote in Scotland and hopes earlier this week of a softening position were dashed by Downing Street.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the Commons another vote in Scotland could be held if there was a "clear consensus" north of the border for it, but a letter sent to Mr Swinney later clarified a referendum remained "off limits".

A Sinn Féin source told reporters the Cardiff summit will be about “where the parties can work together to make a difference to people’s lives; and how each of our nations has the right to shape its own future through democratic means, guided by the will of its people".

The source told The Telegraph: "In Ireland, the constitutional future belongs to the people of this island. The Good Friday Agreement gives us the democratic means to decide it, and now is the time to prepare seriously for that choice.

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

Speculation today follows Mr Trump's comments yesterday where the Republican United States president said he "would love to see" Ireland unified, adding: "It’s going to happen eventually."

This prompted a stern rebuke from the Conservatives, Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats in the UK, while Downing Street pointed to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s rejection of an immediate border poll earlier in the week.

Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart said Mr Trump was "very wrong", adding Northern Ireland is "an integral part" of the UK, while Reform UK's Nigel Farage said he "disagreed" with the President about this topic.

Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson said Northern Ireland’s future would be decided by its people, not "commentary in London, Dublin or Washington", while Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the president’s comments were "timely" and Martin "must now begin planning for a united Ireland".

When asked about the reaction to his comments today at the Irish Open, Mr Trump said: "I loved them."

Further asked about the backlash to his intervention, he said: "I love my comments."

He did not appear to comment further when asked about a timeline for Irish unity or a separate question on Scottish independence

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Plaid Cymru and SNP wins leave UK under threat as pro-independence parties hatch plot to break up Union
• Scotland election: SNP vows to work with Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein to rip up United Kingdom forever
• Local elections roundup: Reform UK surges across Britain as Labour suffers historic defeats...but Keir Starmer REFUSES to stand down

Speaking about the reports, Welsh First Minister Mr ap Iorweth said: "We’re talking about how we can work together; let’s talk about what we have in common and what we don’t."

He added: "There’s also something that ties us together, isn’t there? That pursuit of a different attitude from UK Government.

"It could be around the constitutional question, it could, more acutely, be around fair funding, making sure resource is shared in a way that is equitable, that feels fair, that we have the powers to build the future for the people that we represent."

The Plaid leader continued: "We can work together as First Ministers across these islands, I think, in a positive way for the people we represent, whilst also absolutely reflecting on the fact that we have differences between us."

The meeting also comes after Scotland’s Education Secretary Mairi McAllan said another referendum was “not off the table”.

She told the BBC: "An independence referendum is not off the table. We devote time to it because it is the transformational change that allows Scotland to stand on its own two feet in the world and to fulsomely pursue the better that we want.”

The “status quo in the UK is unsustainable”, Ms McAllan added, pointing to the First Ministers of both Northern Ireland and Wales being in support of leaving the UK.

“The only people who, until last week anyway, didn’t appear to understand that were the UK Government.

"But the Prime Minister stood at the despatch box in the House of Commons last week and was clear that Scotland must have a route to choose our own future, so we just want that agreed now in a legal format so that we can take forward our mandate in Scotland."

In a letter to the First Minister this week, the Prime Minister said he had been "highlighting that there is no consensus for an independence referendum in Scotland".

He told Mr Swinney: "As I made clear to you personally when we met recently in Glasgow, independence and a referendum are off limits as it would take our focus away from growing the economy and helping families with the cost of living."

Former Conservative minister Lord Michael Gove appeared on the same programme as Ms McAllan on Sunday and said he agreed with the Prime Minister.

He added: “Every time John Swinney talks about independence and invites us to talk about independence, that is time that should be spent talking about how to grow the Scottish economy, how to improve Scottish schools, how to make the NHS work better, how to make transport in Scotland work better, how to bring ferries to the islands.

“Talking about about that issue is a deliberate tactic in order to move scrutiny away from the day-to-day performance of the Scottish Government.”

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter