Anti-Brexit campaigner is escorted from Radio 4 debate by security while heckling Jacob Rees-Mogg

This is the moment a BBC debate about Brexit was interrupted by an anti-Brexit campaigner shouting for the Conservative government to get out of power.

Steve Bray, a well-known pro-EU campaigner, was removed from the debate after shouting: ‘Tories out!’

He also heckled Tory MP and prominent Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg as he was led away, The Express reports.

Mr Rees-Mogg showed he clearly recognised the protester, and said: ‘Steve, it’s very nice of you to come and join us.

Steve Bray, a well-known anti-Brexit campaigner who often canvasses outside Parliament, was escorted from a Radio 4 debate, while shouting ‘Tories out!’

Jacob Rees-Mogg wryly responded: ‘I’ve said to [Bray] many times, he should stand for election if he wants to get his arguments across’

‘For those of you listening at home, Steve Bray stands outside the House of Commons every day shouting.

‘I’ve said to him many times, he should stand for election if he wants to get his arguments across.’

Former cabinet minister Mr Rees Mogg appeared on the Radio 4 debate, hosted by Mishal Hussein, arguing over the benefits of Brexit with oppenents Alastair Campbell and CBI boss Tony Danker.

The discussion about Brexit’s impact has been a hot topic as the IMF forecast Britain to have the weakest major economy in the world and the only one among the G7 to shrink this year.

Elsewhere, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed Brexit for ‘literally saving lives’ as he was interviewed by close ally Nadine Dorries.

The former PM pointed to the vaccine rollout as a major benefit as he dismissed gloom three years after the UK left the EU.

Mr Johnson was appearing on Ms Dorries’ new show on Talk TV. The MP served as his Culture Secretary and has been one of his biggest cheerleaders on the Tory benches – often urging him to make a comeback.

Boris Johnson has hailed Brexit for ‘literally saving lives’ as he was interviewed by close ally Nadine Dorries

Mr Johnson has been urging Brits to ignore ‘gloom-mongers’ as senior EU players in the Brexit saga weighed in on the landmark date. 

The most left-field claim came from wacky former Belgian PM and arch federalist Guy Verhofstadt, who suggested Brexit was to blame for Vladimir Putin’s bloody invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile former EU negotiator Michel Barnier suggested that the UK had seen ‘no added value’ from leaving. He also lauded Keir Starmer as ‘a European’, something the Labour leader may not appreciate as he tries to keep his party happy. 

Speaking to Ms Dorries on the programme – to be broadcast on Friday at 8pm – MrJohnson said: ‘Thank goodness that era is behind us but one thing people forget – now let’s pray it’s behind us – but one thing people forget, thinking about the vaccine rollout is there we’ve got the, I think the third anniversary of Brexit, coming up, or the third anniversary of the day when we actually came out of the EU. 

‘You don’t hear it much these days, but it is absolutely the case, that had it not been for our ability to do our own regulation, had it not been for the fact that we’d come out of the European Medicines Agency, the MHRA, the medical health regulation agency, was now totally free to decide how fast to approve the vaccine – we wouldn’t have been able to do that vaccine rollout so fast.

‘And you know, it is literally true that Brexit helped save lives. And people’s eyes bulge a bit when you say that, but it happens to be true… I’m proud of that. I’m proud of all the work that those people did.’