Pub Boss To Hold Brexit Chats With Drinkers

Customers hoping for a quiet pint and a packet of peanuts at their local Wetherspoon pub may get more than they bargained for as boss Tim Martin drops in for a chat about the EU referendum.

Mr Martin, chairman of JD Wetherspoon and one of the most prominent business campaigners in favour of a Leave vote, is visiting 100 of his company's pubs over the next four weeks.

He will tell customers why he believes the UK will be better off leaving the EU

To tie in with the referendum on June 23, Wetherspoon has also printed hundreds of thousands of copies of its Wetherspoon News magazine featuring views from both sides of the debate.

Mr Martin said: "The EU referendum is extremely important and I believe it is vital that voters are given the arguments both for and against, so they can make up their minds.

"Our Wetherspoon News EU special brings together a number of articles which I hope people will read and help them make up their mind on which way they are going to vote.

"I look forward to speaking with Wetherspoon customers during the next four weeks in our pubs across the UK as part of the EU referendum debate."

JD Wetherspoon has more than 900 pubs and employs more than 35,000 people. For the year to 26 July 2015 the group reported revenues of £1.51bn and pre-tax profit of £77.8m.

Earlier this month, Sky News revealed that Mr Martin was donating £200,000 to the Vote Leave campaign.

A vocal advocate of Brexit, Mr Martin has signed a number of letters arguing that leaving the EU will give the UK greater economic freedom.

He founded JD Wetherspoon nearly four decades ago, and has repeatedly said that small businesses are hampered by red tape from Brussels.