AWARD winning filmmaker Ken Loach believes a defeat for Jeremy Corbyn in the General Election could herald the end of the Union.

A Tory victory would mean that “every measure of social inequality will increase”, he claimed.

The man behind the acclaimed movie I, Daniel Blake said that would be “catastrophic on all fronts” and would be too much for Scots to stomach, leading to independence.

Loach also said that it was difficult to support Irish unity and not back Scottish independence, which he said he would not be “unhappy” or "upset" with.

The director made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Herald during a visit to Scotland.

Loach, who is helping Corbyn's Labour election campaign, was a guest speaker at the annual Scottish Trades Union Congress in Aviemore.

The filmmaker whose films include Kes, Land and Freedom, My Name is Joe and the Angels' Share, said the fate of the Union could depend on whether the Tories remained in power. Loach previously said that he would have voted for independence if he had lived in Scotland in 2014.

Speaking about the election, he said: “There are a number of things at stake. I think that one of the biggest things at stake is the future of the Labour Party under its current leadership which I think is the most principled leadership in my lifetime.

“It’s continuance is vitally important for the lives of the vast majority of the people of the country because I think they have a programme for work and housing and health which I think is critical. And the idea that it would sink back into the Blairite collaborationist politics would be desperately bad news."

Adding: “Probably the Union of the United Kingdom is at stake because if the Tories get back, they will pursue their policy which is pushing for the interests of corporate power in whatever guise. Whether it’s inside or outside the European Union they will pursue those interests that and I think the people of Scotland will find that hard to stomach."

Loach said the consequences of a Tory victory would be devastating for the working class in all parts of the UK.

He warned that the treatment of people on welfare benefits would be "even harsher" than that portrayed in the Palme d'Or-winning film I, Daniel Blake, which tells the story of a middle aged joiner denied state support after suffering a heart attack.

Loach said: “I suspect they (the Tories) would try to get investment in Britain from outside by selling off anything that remains which is very little."