LONDON - The leaders of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales met British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday to discuss what part the three nations will play in the Brexit process, a thorny issue that risks triggering a constitutional crisis.
May proposes setting up a new committee to give the three devolved governments, which have varying degrees of autonomy from London, a formal avenue to express views on how Britain's future relationship with the European Union should work.
"The country is facing a negotiation of tremendous importance and it is imperative that the devolved administrations play their part in making it work," May said in a statement her office released before the meeting.
At stake is the three-century union between England, where a majority voted to leave the EU, and Scotland, where a majority voted to stay.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday she was seeking "meaningful input" into the decision-making structure and wants each of the United Kingdom's four assemblies to get a vote on the proposed negotiating package.
Sturgeon has said her government is preparing for all possibilities, including independence from the UK, after Britain leaves the EU.
In Northern Ireland, which also voted to keep EU membership, there are fears that Brexit could undermine a 1998 peace deal and reinstate a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.
Experts have warned of the risk of a constitutional crisis if May does not take into account the position of each of the UK's four nations when conducting negotiations on the terms of Brexit. (Reuters)