Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the north of England to break free - and join an independent Scotland.

The extraordinary demand - on the change.org website - would create a border from Chester in the west to Sheffield in the east.

‘New Scotland’ would see Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and every other northern community ruled from Edinburgh instead of London.

So far the petition has accrued more than 6,300 supporters.

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Using the hashtag #TakeUsWithYou Scotland, the call appears to have originated in Sheffield.

It says: “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.

“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.”

One signatory, Alison Winter, who gives her location as Bramhall in Stockport, wrote: “Simple, Nicola Sturgeon spoke more truth to me than any other politician during the campaign, I just wasn’t allowed to vote for her. Always loved the Scottish, they’ve been kind to me, they put people before business.”

Amelia Pollard, from Manchester, agreed: “Free university, no tories - what’s not to love?”

Depending on where exactly the line is drawn, such a move could see part of Cheshire governed by England and the rest of it by Scotland.

Northern politicians are unlikely to be on board with the demand - but are nonetheless keen to keep the issue of devolution high on the agenda under the new government.

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Ten major cities - Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Cardiff and Bristol - this week wrote to ministers claiming more freedoms would allow them to create 1.2m more jobs in the next 15 years, adding £222bn to the economy.

That is the equivalent of adding the entire Danish economy to the UK, they say.