Question Time audience member says Wetherspoon’s boss is backing no-deal Brexit to ‘line your own pockets’

Young audience member criticises Wetherspoon's Tim Martin on Question Time. Photograph: BBC. - Credit: Archant

Wetherspoon’s boss Tim Martin has been told that he is ‘lying’ about the true reason for supporting a no-deal Brexit.

The accusation was made by a young audience member on the latest episode of Question Time.

She told the pub chain boss that that he was not a man of the people, but putting himself first.

“It’s interesting you can say you patronise MPs and tell them they don’t understand the trade deal we can get when we leave the EU and get things for cheaper from other countries.

To claps from the audience, she continued: “I think it’s interesting you are trying to say you are pushing this Brexit due to it being positive for the people, when it is clearly to line your own pockets.

https://twitter.com/bbcquestiontime/status/1141828827422842880

“You have come out in the newspaper to say that you want to reduce the taxes you pay, you want to reduce the wages you pay.”

“If you were really a person of the people you wouldn’t.”

The audience member goes on to point out that “20,000 pubs have gone out of business” since Wetherspoon’s were established.

“Business owners like himself lie about the reasons they support Brexit and say it is for the people when it is actually the equalisation you want on tax between pubs and supermarkets would hit the people the hardest.”

Tim Martin said “I think Boris Johnson said it was a minestrone of accusations.

“What I said about MPs is they appeared not to understand the nature of the European Union, which is basically a protectionist system, which charges tariffs on wine, rice, oranges, bananas and many other things. So people in the shops pay more. And that is a point that hasn’t come out. So we’re able, if we leave the EU, to reduce those tariffs and reduce the prices in the shops, not for people who run big businesses like myself, but for everyone, including me.”

As the programme moved on to the powerful, emotive topic of knife crime another spectator told Martin: “You be quiet, sir, because you do not know what you’re talking about” to applause from the audience members.

Viewer Ceri Meecham tweeted: “Can it be in Tottenham every week? Audience have been superb. Special mention to the young guy that told Tim Martin to be quiet because he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”