The audience laughed after Richard Walker, managing director of the Iceland supermarkets chain, said the EU would reject his request out of hand despite his claim to be an “entrepreneur”. Mr Hunt and Boris Johnson are currently competing to become the next Prime Minister. Both have vowed to renegotiate the deal Mrs May agreed to remove the Northern Ireland backstop.

Mr Walker commented: “I’d love to know for example how on earth he’s going to magic up a new agreement in two months when it took Theresa May two years but it goes for the other candidate as well.

“When the EU have quite clearly said they’re not going to reopen the withdrawal agreement

“I don’t care if you’ve been an entrepreneur they’re not going to reopen it.”

Referring to Mr Hunt he added: “He’ll go to Brussels and he’ll say ‘I’ve been an entrepreneur and please give me a tweak to the withdrawal agreement and they’ll say well done but no.”

Mr Johnson and Mr Hunt have both said they could take Britain out of the EU without a withdrawal agreement if Brussels refuses to compromise by October 31.

The two politicians are vying for votes from the approximately 160,000 Conservative Party members who will select the UK’s next leader.

Both are keen to remove or amend the Northern Ireland backstop provision of Mrs May’s deal, which could result in Britain becoming stuck in a customs union style relationship with the EU.

Also on last night’s Question Time, Labour MP Caroline Flint urged her party not to support a second EU membership referendum.

She commented: “I think being progressive is being a democrat first and foremost.

“If you’re going to have a second referendum I don’t think it should be about whether we remain.

“I think it should be on the basis of deal or no deal because the decision to leave has actually been made.”

Jeremy Corbyn is under intense pressure from senior Labour Party figures and members to back another public vote on the UK’s EU membership.

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