David Bowie makes plea to Scotland: Stay with us

LONDON (Reuters) - Rock star David Bowie used the celebrity spotlight to enter the debate about Scottish independence, appealing to Scots not to leave the United Kingdom. "Scotland, stay with us," Bowie, 67, said in a message read out by model Kate Moss as she collected his award for best British male at the UK's top pop awards, the Brits, on Wednesday night. Bowie is the latest high-profile public figure to wade into the debate about whether Scotland should vote on September 18 to end its 307-year tie with England and become an independent country. His intervention was welcomed by those fighting independence with Labour MP Jim Murphy tweeting: "David Bowie has had his say. Now you can do your bit to back Scotland." As the debate over independence intensifies and opinion polls start to show the nationalists gaining ground, growing numbers of business leaders and public figures have become involved. Scottish celebrities are regularly fielding questions about the vote, but some are staying clear. Scottish comedian Billy Connolly, 71, has said he will not vote in the referendum and told the BBC that the referendum was a "morass" into which he did not want to step. Scotland's most famous celebrity nationalist, former James Bond actor Sean Connery, who lives in the United States, declined to comment. "Sir Sean has retired and has asked that I decline all media requests no matter how important a subject," his spokeswoman said. Scotland's most prominent sportsman, Andy Murray, who became the first Briton since 1936 to win the men's Wimbledon title last year, was playing his cards carefully, saying he was proud to be Scottish but that he also loved competing for Great Britain. (Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith and Sarah Young; editing by Stephen Addison)