Entertainment retailer HMV is withdrawing Anyone But England World Cup T-shirts and other merchandise from Scottish stores after accusations of racism.

HMV decided to act after the police visited one of its shops in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Kirkcaldy constituency.

The Campaign for an English Parliament contacted the police, complaining that the products were an incitement to racial hatred and “criminally irresponsible”.

An HMV spokesman told The Scotsman newspaper that it was not “actively promoting” the products, which would not be replaced after stocks were sold.

He said: “If we thought the shirts were in any way racist then we certainly wouldn’t have stocked them. In our view, the shirts are not against England or the English but are simply about some Scottish fans expressing a view that they want any team other than England to win this year’s World Cup.”

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