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Published: 10:06 AM February 15, 2019 Updated: 6:15 PM September 17, 2020

The boss of the Wetherspoon pub chain was embroiled in a fiery television debate as he took on a staunch Remainer to discuss Brexit's impact on the economy.

Tim Martin appears on Good Morning Britain. Photograph: GMB/ITV. - Credit: Archant

Tim Martin joined broadcaster Terry Christian on Good Morning Britain via satellite link to discuss whether or not the Brexiteers that advocated Leave should be laid off first if the economy takes a hit.

Christian was invited on to the programme after posting a provocative poll on Twitter on the subject.

His post read: 'If you own a business and because of Brexit and the weak pound you are forced to lay workers off - is it fairer to lay off: Leave voters 1st, Remainers 1st, Choose randomly.'

Explaining his tweet on GMB he said: 'If we were on an aeroplane and 50% voted to switch the engines off and there were only a certain number of parachutes, morally I don't think we should give the parachutes to those who voted to switch the engines off.'

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'What I'm saying is they voted for this short term pain but I'm letting them have it,' he explained before admitting it was a 'moral' argument which would not pass HR departments.

But Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin appeared at odds with the claims of Brexiteers that have also admitted there could now be 'short term' for the country's departure from the EU.

Martin said Christian was promoting a 'sectarian view' of the vote and said he was 'talking absolute nonsense.'

It led to presenters Ben Shepherd and Kate Garraway asking the Wetherspoon's boss who he be laid off in his business if Brexit does not go to plan.

Martin would not be drawn into giving an answer, instead he stuck to the script insisting jobs would not be lost.

He said: 'Terry is making the assumption that we'll be worse off which we heard before the referendum that we'd lose jobs by now, we've actually created half a million which is a direct contradiction of what people frightened us into to vote Remain.'

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'Great for Wetherspoons, he can sell more cheap booze,' Christian quipped.

He continued: 'My savings have already reduced by 18% because of the pound. This is because all our trade is done with Europe. No-deal Brexit is a car crash, it will destroy us.'

The pair continued to clash as Tim Martin appeared unfazed by the prospect of what might happen on March 29th.

He quipped: 'Terry for Chancellor of the Exchequer I say.'

'Cheap booze, more poverty, better for him,' Terry replied.

Summarising Terry Christian said: 'The only reason Tim, god bless him, is wheeled out because he is about the only business man - him and James Dyson, who has just gone off to Malaysia and isn't based here anymore, are the only people in business who are pro-Brexit.

'Everybody else is living the real world!'

The broadcaster added that Martin 'paying his workers' the appropriate money would be better for their pockets than banking on Brexit.