CHAIR of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain and prominent Brexiteer Tim Martin has visited Bradford as part of a nationwide tour to speak to patrons about his views on Brexit.

During the 50 minute chat at The Turls Green pub in City Park, Mr Martin explained he was “trying to overcome some of the pessimism around Brexit” and explained to people why he believes the nation will be better off leaving the European Union in March with No Deal.

He told the crowd it would save the UK from having to pay the £39 billion divorce bill, give the UK control of its fishing areas back, and also said the idea food prices would rise is “complete tosh”.

He also explained how he has been able to lower the prices of products such as brandy, sparkling wine and herbal liqueur by swapping from European brands to global brands.

Institutions such as the Bank of England, the Treasury, the CBI, and the IFS have all warned a No Deal Brexit would be damaging to the UK economy, with the Bank of England warning it could have a bigger impact that the 2008 financial crisis.

As the head of a chain of almost 900 pubs, Mr Martin said he believes pubs - chains and independent pubs alike - can thrive in the event of No Deal.

He said: “Independent pubs not tied to a brewer have a tremendous number of choices, you only have to go into the supermarket to see the choice.

“Most draught beers are brewed in the UK, and you can get wines and spirits cheaper from outside the EU, but it has to tapered by common sense.

“If we adopt the free trade approach, tariffs will be abolished and prices will go down, which helps a business’ workforce and its customers.

“Even things like getting control back over fishing, while indirect, will have a positive impact for northern economies too.

“Overall, I think we can do well if the Government adopts sensible policies, and that applies for consumers and businesses.

“If Theresa May’s deal goes through, it’s hard to say what businesses will do.

“Some might say that’s what they wanted, personally think it’s a bad thing, but business finds a way around it.

“In my lifetime there have been so many ups and downs in the economy. Just ten years ago we had the huge financial crisis with massive uncertainty, but things kept going and the country actually did pretty well.

“I think leaving without a deal won’t prevent the ups and downs of the economy, but on average you will do a bit better.

“I think No Deal is the best option because we save the £39 billion, you eliminate tariffs, bringing down prices in the shops, increasing disposable income which is good for all businesses, and in general terms it brings democratic decision making home.”