Actress Thompson speaks out against independence

The Oscar winner, who plays the voice of Queen Elinor in the animated film Brave, set in medieval Scotland, said she understood the “romance” of independence given that England had been “so awful” to Scotland.

But when it came to breaking up Britain, Ms Thompson  said she was against Scottish  independence.

Thompson, 53, who spends much of her time in Scotland and who considers herself Scottish, was questioned on the issue on a Spanish television station ahead of Brave opening in Spain.

She said: “I understand the romance of it, the passion for it, given that the relationship between the two countries has been so belligerent and England was so awful to Scotland.”

But she added: “I find it difficult to accept it when borders are still causing so many problems. Why insist on building a new border between human beings in an ever-shrinking world?”