MPs representing constituencies north and south of the border clashed at Westminster yesterday over an SNP call for the governments in Edinburgh and London to begin talks on moving Berwick-upon-Tweed from England back to Scotland.

After the ITV poll of around 2000 locals, which showed by a margin of 60% to 40% they would like their town to be in Scotland, Pete Wishart, the SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire, tabled a parliamentary motion hailing the result and insisting: "The people of Berwick recognise the benefits of being governed by a Scottish Government in Edinburgh committed to improving services instead of the current situation of remote, uncaring Westminster indifference."

Noting how the town had changed hands between Scotland and England 13 times over the centuries, he insisted that the locals' views had to be "paramount" on the subject.

Mr Wishart added: "Negotiations should begin between the Scottish and UK governments."

Alan Beith, the Liberal Democrat MP for Berwick, in his own parliamentary motion, dismissed ITV's "so-called poll" and noted that the Scottish Government had "issued a statement that it is not making any territorial claims on England".

Mr Beith noted, however, that the programme had "identified the genuine concern that Berwick and other parts of England do not enjoy the free personal care for the elderly and free student tuition rescued by Liberal Democrats when they were part of the coalition government in Scotland and do not enjoy the higher spending levels on schools, highways and other public services financed under the Barnett formula".

At Holyrood, Christine Grahame, the SNP MP for the South of Scotland, has tabled a similar motion to Mr Wishart's. At the weekend, Alex Salmond said: "We have no territorial ambitions for any part of England."