A PUBLIC meeting on Brexit reached boiling point on Saturday as people expressed concerns about what the future holds for Britain following its impending departure from the EU.

Sir Christopher Chope organised the event, which saw West Parley Memorial Hall packed with people eager to put their questions to the Christchurch MP.

It took place at a crucial time, with members of parliament due to vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan for the UK’s withdrawal and future relationship with the European Union on Tuesday.

Amid much uncertainty over what will happen if, as is predicted, Mrs May loses the vote, the message from Sir Christopher on Saturday was clear: ‘no deal’ is the best way forward for the country and the only way to deliver a “full Brexit”.

He said no deal “scaremongering” had undermined the benefits of leaving under World Trade Organisation terms.

Following his introduction to the meeting, during which he compared the Irish Protocol of the withdrawal agreement to a “Venus flytrap”, Sir Christopher fielded questions from the public.

One man asked what the “tangible benefits of a no deal Brexit” would be on “everyday life” and was told 'keeping the £39bn' would be the main one.

Another person raised concerns over the possibility of the prime minister delaying Article 50.

“It would be possible, but she has been adamant in saying that she has no intention of doing that,” Sir Christopher said.

Someone else later asked: “How can we stop the postponement of Article 50? And, if we can’t, what will the right-wingers in your party do to mitigate the damage?”. Sir Christopher replied: “We’ll keep pressure on the prime minister to keep her word.”

But, he added: “In that event, we’d be in unchartered waters and it would be a grave crisis for our democracy.”

Things got heated when one member of the audience raised his concerns over the "irrevocable damage" of no deal on the pharmaceutical industry. The fears he voiced about a shortage of medicines and increased unemployment were shouted down by other members of the audience.

And mid-way through the proceedings, a woman who did not like what she was hearing from Sir Christopher stormed out and called the meeting a “disgrace”.

Other concerns were expressed about the Government’s ability to make trade deals with the rest of the world following the “failure of the present Government to negotiate a decent deal with the EU”.

Sir Christopher admitted: “I can’t exactly put your mind at rest”.

Speaking to the Daily Echo at the meeting, he said while leaving the EU without a deal “may not be ideal, the prime minister said all along that no deal would be better than a bad deal”.

“I’ve made it quite clear that I was going to be voting against her deal because it doesn’t do what she says it does. It’s the worst of all worlds. It gives up the £39bn without any guarantee of what we’re going to get in return, it doesn’t end the uncertainty - all it does is postpone the time at which the uncertainty arises.”