“Westminster’s time is coming to an end.” This was the joint overarching message from the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, who are agitating for a breakaway from the United Kingdom and full independence from England, following a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreed upon by the trio on Monday.

The MOU follows a landmark summit of leaders from the UK’s “Celtic nations” in Cardiff on Monday, who collectively said the era of Westminster dominance is drawing to a close. The document, endorsed by Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth, the SNP’s John Swinney, Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill, and Ireland’s Mary Lou McDonald asserts that political momentum is building across the” nations” and that constitutional change is inevitable

The summit unfolds against a backdrop of rising constitutional tension. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who took office in July, has prioritized devolving power within England but has sent mixed signals on the devolved nations, recently telling Swinney that a second Scottish independence vote remains off the table, Brittish Media reports.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own devolved governments; however, the UK Parliament in Westminster retains ultimate legal authority over the whole country, meaning big decisions like whether a nation can hold an independence referendum require Westminster’s approval. Thus, Scotland can’t call its own independence vote without London’s approval, simialry for the other nations hence the push for Westminster to loosen its control