GREEN Party MEP Keith Taylor marked Europe Day with a visit to Alton to host a public meeting on Brexit.

The senior Green politician invited the public to join him at the Crown Hotel coffee bar on May 9 for an update on the Brexit process in the European Parliament and his role as an MEP.

Mr Taylor used the event to explain to attendees, who came from across Hampshire, why he believes Customs Union membership is “vital” for protecting the Good Friday Agreement and ensuring ports across the South East continue to function post-Brexit.

Speaking at the meeting, the Green MEP, a member of the European Parliament’s Peace Process Support Group, said: “I’m delighted to be invited to this historic town. As Alton is so famed for its Jane Austen connections, I’ll echo the author in saying that ‘my idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation’ - and that’s exactly what I’m expecting from the people of Alton.”

The meeting was viewed as an opportunity to get an update on Brexit from the European Parliament perspective and a chance to ask questions of Mr Taylor about the process.

He later told the Herald: “I believe, on the vital issue of the Customs Union, the Conservative Government can no longer continue putting party before country and must commit to maintaining Britain’s membership in the interests of upholding the Good Friday Agreement and ensuring the seamless operation of our ports.

“Remaining in the Customs Union is an economic no-brainer, averts post-Brexit chaos in Dover and much of Kent, and port towns and cities across the city, and is the only real-world solution to maintaining a frictionless Northern Ireland border.”

Mr Taylor reiterated the Green Party’s call for a people’s vote on the terms of the final Brexit deal.

“We were promised the EU referendum was the start of a journey.The final destination didn’t appear on the ballot paper.

“Two years on, it is clear that many of the referendum campaigners’ lies have unravelled. At the same time, the Government has admitted its shambolic pursuit of a hard Brexit will make Britain and the South East poorer.

“And the Withdrawal Bill risks leaving huge holes in workers’ and consumer rights, animal welfare, and environmental protections while handing ministers unprecedented Henry VII powers to make laws without scrutiny.

“That is why Greens back a people’s vote to hand the people of Britain the final say on the Brexit deal negotiated on their behalf.”

And he concluded: “Finally, to quote Brexit Secretary David Davis, ‘if a democracy cannot change its mind, it ceases to be a democracy’.”

Before the meeting, Mr Taylor had met with students at Alton College to discuss Brexit as part of the youth organisation My Life, My Say.