THE founder of English Scots for Yes is aiming to be elected as a list MSP for the SNP to prove the independence movement is not anti-English.

Math Campbell-Sturgess told the Sunday National he wants to drive home that it’s not about where people were born but where they have chosen to make their homes.

Now living in Argyll and Bute with his partner and three-year-old daughter, the former SNP councillor for Inverclyde said he wanted to reach out to the estimated 70,000 English Scots living in the Highlands and Islands.

“Many of them might think the SNP is not for them because they are English and it is something they shouldn’t get involved with whereas they absolutely should – it is their community,” he said.

“It is important from both the SNP perspective and the independence movement perspective to highlight that the independence movement is not about where you were born and the SNP and Yes movement are in no way anti-English – that is just a slur from the Unionists, so having me at Holyrood will help counteract that.

“I am trying to reach out to English Scots and say this is your country now, this is your home and you have as much right to say where we are going in the future as anyone else and independence is just as good a prospect for people who were born in England as it is for everyone else who lives in Scotland.”

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He said the movement from No to Yes which has been picked up in the polls included English Scots who had made the switch because they were appalled at Brexit and the way Boris Johnson’s government is handling the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In many ways the issue is even more profound for English Scots because they are more in tune with what is happening down in England and their friends and relatives are all telling them how bad it is down there and how bad Boris Johnson is,” he said.

“They are able to contrast that with Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP Government and how Scotland is going in a different direction from England and I think that is part of the reason we are seeing a lot of English Scots go from No to Yes. I’ve had quite a few people come forward to say they voted no in 2014 because they thought it was a bad idea but have changed their minds.”

Campbell-Sturgess said European migrants are also more prepared to vote Yes in the next indyref.

“They are saying the same thing – they voted No in 2014 but Brexit is just a disaster and they can see the UK Government is not listening to Scotland so that is definitely a movement we are seeing,” he said.

Key issues for English Scots include what will happen regarding the border between England and Scotland, according to Campbell-Sturgess.

“I will be trying to show it won’t cause problems and in fact when Scotland rejoins the EU this will offer opportunities,” he said.