500,000 beer mats to soak up opposition to leaving EU
PUB chain JD Wetherspoon is launching a “Brexit beer mat” to press home its view that prices will actually be lower if the UK fails to reach a trade deal with the EU.
About half a million of the mats will be distributed to 875 pubs, including a message to the three main political party leaders which says: “The vast majority of the public strongly objects to the crazy Government plan to pay £39billion to Brussels, with nothing in return.”
Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin said lawyers stated there is no legal obligation for the UK to pay anything on leaving the EU.
He said: “The Government should choose free trade, on leaving the EU, by ending the taxes or ‘tariffs’ which the EU imposes on 12,000 non-EU imports.”
The mat’s message adds: “Ending tariffs means lower prices. EU products can be replaced by alternatives from the UK – or the 93 per cent of the world not in the EU.”