Sun owner Rupert Murdoch uses Twitter to back Scottish independence

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch appears to have hinted at support for Scottish independence on the social network service Twitter.

The tycoon, head of News Corporation, yesterday tweeted: “Let Scotland go and compete. Everyone would win.”

It follows a tweet on Sunday in which he said: “Alex Salmond clearly most brilliant politician in U.K. Gave Cameron back of his hand this week. Loved by Scots.”

News Corporation is parent company of News International, which runs The Sun and The Times newspapers.

The Sun switched from opposition to the SNP before the 2007 election to support for the party last May.

Commenting on Mr Murdoch’s tweet, a spokesman for First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Many people at home and abroad are expressing views on Scotland’s future, and all contributions are welcome, including Mr Murdoch’s.

“We believe that independence will be good for Scotland and good for England - a new relationship of equality between our two nations, with the Queen as our shared head of state.

“The First Minister has taken this positive message to people in England in a series of speeches in recent weeks, and been receiving an extremely enthusiastic response.”

The Scottish Government last August published letters between Mr Salmond and Mr Murdoch which show attempts to bring Mr Murdoch to Scotland as guest of honour at the Gathering, the centrepiece of the Year of Homecoming.

An invitation was extended for Mr Murdoch to join Mr Salmond at a golf event in Kentucky in the United States.

In another letter, Mr Salmond offered the tycoon tickets for a New York performance of the play Black Watch.

The letters came with a list covering meetings held with editors, journalists and other executives stretching back to June 2007, shortly after the SNP took office.

Mr Murdoch arrived in the UK last week to take charge of the latest crisis involving one of his titles following the arrest of journalists at The Sun.

He announced that he will publish a new newspaper, The Sun on Sunday, for the first time this weekend.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP said: “After Rupert Murdoch’s crisis at News Corporation, it’s the endorsement that every politician dreads.

“We need more than eight words from a troubled media tycoon to convince us that we should separate from the UK family.”