Sir Sean would quit Bahamas for an independent Scottish nation

SIR Sean Connery has said he will return to his native Scotland if it is granted independence.

The high profile supporter of the Scottish National Party (SNP) was born in Edinburgh's Fountainbridge but left Scotland more than half a century ago.

Sir Sean, 76, moved to London in the Fifties, then to Spain in the Seventies. In 1999 he took up residence in the Bahamas, where he still lives, with his second wife, the painter Micheline Roquebrune.

But in an interview with a Sunday newspaper the former James Bond actor said he would "look forward" to coming home to an independent Scotland.

Sir Sean already acts as an unofficial Scottish ambassador at high profile events such as Tartan Week in New York.

Last week he opened the headquarters of the New York based organisation Friends of Scotland - Alba House - where he also hosted a dinner.

He says Scottish independence would offer further opportunities for his goodwill activities.

"I have been waiting for independence as long as I can remember," he said. "Like a lot of Scots abroad I look forward to coming home to an independent Scotland. Emotionally, of course, I have never left. I have been a goodwill ambassador for Scotland. I can imagine even more opportunities with independence."

However, he denied these plans would get in the way of his career, quashing reports that he would not return to acting. He is currently considering an offer from Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas to resurrect his movie role as Professor Henry Jones.

In response to accusations that he lived in the Bahamas to avoid paying tax, he reacted angrily, claiming to have paid "millions" to the UK, including a recent bill of £500,000.

Following the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Sir Sean and Ms Roquebrune - whom he married in 1975, after divorcing his first wife, Diane Cilento - considered buying a home in Scotland.

They scouted locations in Sir Sean's native Edinburgh and St Andrew's, because of their love of golf, but finally rejected the idea and remained in the Caribbean.

But the move could now be imminent, as Sir Sean said he believed independence was within reach.

The growing support of Scottish business leaders such as Brian Souter and Tom Farmer was a ringing endorsement of the SNP, he claimed.

"It's a David and Goliath story," he said. "In the past the SNP didn't have the funds to get its ideas out - in the past it was an unfair contest.

"Now it appears we may be arriving at a more level playing field.

"Now, the mood in Scotland is without a doubt for progress. The SNP is providing a picture of a better future for Scotland that has not been seen by the public before. The polls reflect this."

Business leaders are now "joining the mood of optimism" according to Sir Sean, offering financial as well as verbal support.

"Support for the SNP is growing across all segments of Scottish society," he added. "People know the SNP has ideas for equality and a better future.

"More people have seen through New Labour - especially after Iraq."

Labour's policies have failed Scotland, he insisted, accusing Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, of "spreading misinformation" about Scotland's dependency on England.

As well as supporting the SNP's economic credentials, Sir Sean also applauded the party's backing for arts-friendly polices.

Sir Sean is a supporter of the Scottish arts including plans for a National Gallery of Photography at the site of Edinburgh's Royal High School, and a film and television centre in Leith. He is also supportive of emerging talent including Scots actors such as Gerard Butler and James McAvoy, who recently starred in The Last King of Scotland.

"What we have to do now is make sure we are helping to cultivate the next generation of talent. It's not rocket science - you look around the world at schemes that have been working in supporting the arts, sport and culture and you think, why don't we do more of that here?

"I'm glad to see the SNP is promoting some of these policies."