More than 12,000 people have signed a petition demanding that north of England break away from London-centric south and join a new Scotland.
The petition has elaborated that northern English cities feel far greater affinity towards Scottish counterparts such as Glasgow and Edinburgh than London and therefore demands secession from the UK.
Signatures to the Change.org petition were rising rapidly on Thursday before a visit to Manchester by George Osborne, the chancellor, and the only MP in the new Conservative cabinet with a northern English constituency.
Osborne, MP for Tatton in Cheshire, is expected to set out his plans to offer northern cities more powers if they accept elected mayors as part of his “northern powerhouse” vision.
