Hands Across Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall

A Tory MP has called for 100,000 Britons to hold hands across Hadrian's Wall this summer, in order to prevent Scotland voting for independence. Once used as a defensive fortification in Roman Britain, the wall is set to be the scene of a gesture of love to Scotland in the form of a coast-to-coast human chain.

MP Rory Stewart is hoping to introduce an emotional angle to the the independence debate, which he stated has been so far focused on economic implications. In a speech given last week in the House of Commons, Mr Stewart said: “It cannot be simply economics. If a relationship is going wrong, if a marriage is going wrong, the answer cannot simply be to say 'you can't afford to break up because you are going to loose the house".

”The answer has to be only one thing, which is 'I love you'."

The campaign which is called ‘Hands Across the Border’ aims to gather people of all ages, from across the country, in a human chain with torches on the evening of Saturday 19th July. The hope is to demonstrate to Scotland how much English, Welsh and Irish people value Scotland’s place in the UK and how sorry they would be if Scotland separated in the Independence referendum set to be held on September 18.

During his speech, Mr Stewart recalled a canoeing expedition he undertook with the Scottish National Party’s Angus MacNeil. Mr MacNeil responded with a tweet saying:

@lloydak1 happily canoe with @rorystewartuk but we dont need to share a Prime Minister to do so )

— AngusBMacNeilMP (@AngusMacNeilMP) February 6, 2014

In AD 122 the Emperor Hadrian visited Britannia and ordered his generals to build a wall from the Tyne to Solway in an effort to prevent Pictish raiders from the north destroying the strategic Roman base at Corbridge in Northumberland. Taking 15 years to build, Hadrian's Wal lwas 80 Roman miles long - about 73 modern miles or 117 km. Parts of the wall still exist to this day - it is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.