THE boss of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain was in the North-East today as part of a national ‘pub crawl’ putting the case for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.

Tim Martin, Wetherspoons’ founder and chairman, is speaking to customers at more than 100 company pubs, outlining his reasoning for leaving the EU without an agreed deal.

He recently announced his plans for the two-month tour to chat to drinkers about what he claims to be, “the huge economic advantages” of leaving the EU, on March 29 next year, with no agreement in place.

During the North-East leg of his visit, he was espousing his views at The William Jameson, in Fawcett Street, Sunderland, and The Mile Castle, in Westgate Road, Newcastle, today.

Mr Martin has made it no secret that he believes a ‘no-deal’ outcome to departing the EU would prove advantageous to the UK economy.

He believes it will free up the UK to operate in a free trade environment, akin to countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Singapore.

“Leaving the EU without a deal will leave the UK significantly better off than it is today, provided a sensible free trade approach is adopted.”

He claims the British public have been proved right not to adopt the euro, almost two decades ago, as, since the euro was created, the UK has substantially outperformed the eurozone.

“In the subsequent referendum debate in 2016, the warnings about dire consequences for the economy, if we voted to leave the EU, echoed those from the era of the euro debate.

“The pro-Remain argument from the Government, the CBI, the Treasury and others was that the stock market would collapse, mortgage rates would rise steeply and there would be a rise in unemployment of about half a million in the immediate aftermath of a Leave vote, followed by an annual reduction in household income of £4,300.

“Since the referendum, the economy has confounded the negative view.

“Employment has actually increased by about 450,000, mortgage rates have stayed at a record low, household incomes and the stock market are within a whisker of an all-time high.”

Mr Martin added that countries like the USA, Australia, India and New Zealand are keen to do trade deals with the UK, despite the “raft of economic warnings” against a no-deal’ Brexit.