On Scottish independence, Dawkins joined more than 200 celebrities, including Helena Bonham Carter, Judi Dench, Stephen Hawking, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, in signing an open letter stating, "We want to let you know how very much we value our bonds of citizenship with you, and to express our hope that you will vote to renew them. What unites us is much greater than what divides us. Let's stay together," urging the Scottish people to vote "no" on the 2014 referendum on the issue. After the Brexit referendum, he tweeted "But if I were Scottish today I'd want to leave the nasty little backwater that England is becoming".