It is "nauseating" that rich political donors like Sir Sean Connery should be allowed to support the Scottish National Party's (SNP) campaign for independence, a Labour MP claimed today.

Jim Sheridan (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) said only those who lived within Scotland and paid their taxes should be allowed to donate towards the campaign for independence ahead of the referendum next year.

He named James Bond actor Sir Sean, one of the most high-profile supporters of independence, during a heated debate in the Commons as MPs argued over the implications of a possible split with the rest of the United Kingdom.

It is expected MPs will later hand Holyrood the legal powers to go ahead with a referendum.

In a question to Labour colleague Ian Davidson, Mr Sheridan said: "Do you agree with me that it is one of the nauseating things that some of the people who are donating money to the SNP from abroad are actually living abroad to avoid paying tax?

"They want to tell us in Scotland how to live when we pay our taxes here and they are not paying their taxes where they are living, including Sean Connery."

Mr Davidson, chairman of the Commons Scottish Affairs Select Committee, said he believed the SNP did not have "any scruples" when it came to accepting money from donors who lived abroad.

He said: "There is a major question of principle here to be addressed as to whether or not the referendum can be bought and sold with foreign gold.

"Even at this late day, I would hope that the Scottish Parliament and the SNP would show confidence in their own ability to raise money from Scots in Scotland and desist from taking foreign money."

In a later jibe at the SNP, he joked: "There is a suggestion that 'Tax Dodgers for Separation' is about to set up in Monaco."