Not content with trying to break away from the UK, Scotland could take some of England’s counties with it. That’s the wish of more than 26,000 signatories of a petition calling for the north to extricate itself from the “London-centric south.”
The petition chides Westminster politicians as “irrelevant” to its northern citizenry, while excoriating the "the endless parade of old Etonions lining the frontbenches of the House of Commons."
'I will have it all...'
Penned by Stu Dent of Sheffield, the push for the north to leave was published last year as part of the independence campaign, however gained considerable momentum this week after Chancellor George Osborne spoke in Manchester promising to revolutionise the way England is governed, with mayors elected in cities to mirror the regional government of the capital.
Numbers were likely bolstered by the Tory win in the general election, with the Scottish nationalists wresting control of Scotland thanks to their steadfast anti-austerity agenda.
The petition states: "The deliberations in Westminster are becoming increasingly irrelevant to the north of England. The northern cities feel far greater affinity with their Scottish counterparts such as Glasgow and Edinburgh than with the ideologies of the London-centric south. The needs and challenges of the north cannot be understood by the endless parade of old Etonions lining the frontbenches of the House of Commons."
It adds: "The north of England should join the newly independent Scotland and regain control over its own destiny. We, the people of the north, demand that in the event that Scotland becomes independent the border between England and the New Scotland be drawn along a line that runs between the River Dee and the mouth of The Humber."
Some Northerners were quick to tweet their support for the cause with the hashtag #takesuswithyouscotland…
The Scots also seemed keen to take on their Northern neighbours…
Earlier this week David Cameron gave James Wharton, MP for Stockton South, the infrequently used job title of "Northern Powerhouse" minister to oversee his vision for regeneration in the region.
The Prime Minister will today have his first official face-to-face meeting with Nicola Sturgeon since the General Election.
Sturgeon is likely to put pressure on the PM to hand the Scottish Government even more powers, going beyond the Smith package.
The leaders look set to clash on a number of issues - not helped by the election battles which saw the SNP leader speak of "locking Mr Cameron out of Downing Street”.
SEE ALSO:
