LIB Dem leader Tim Farron visited said free trade is vital to our economy and to millions of jobs on a trip to Brighton.

Mr Farron visited ESpark on Monday - a base for new businesses and entrepreneurs run by Natwest -

and rejected Jeremy Corbyn’s suggestions that supporting continued membership of the Single Market is ‘Free Trade Dogma’ and called on Liam Fox to apologise for calling businesses too ‘lazy’ to export.

He claimed that neither Labour not the Conservatives are now willing to stand up for business.

ESpark in Preston Road has started a course helping traders get to grips with exporting their goods, and Mr Farron met a number of businesses, including OMGTea and Simply VAT.com – who help other businesses trade online.

He said: "Let’s be clear - free trade is a good thing. It creates jobs, increases prosperity and helps pay for things like the NHS, schools and public services.

"Suggesting that supporting free trade is about some right-wing ‘dogma’ simply ignores the fact that all of our livelihoods are improved because of free trade- including through our membership of the Single Market.

"The businesses I’ve met here are the model for what is great about the UK- entrepreneurs and innovators. Yet Labour seems now content to reject free trade, while Liam Fox, who is supposed to be promoting businesses, is calling them lazy.

"It seems neither the Conservatives or Labour are prepared to fight for the open, tolerant and united country that will create the environment for businesses to succeed."

He also made clear that any Brexit deal which does not include full membership of the Single Market would be a disaster for businesses.

He said: "Despite endlessly parroting ‘Brexit means Brexit’, the Government seems increasingly favour ‘hard Brexit’ with withdrawal from both the Single Market and even the EU Customs Union.

"There would be no better way to clip the wings of business than to create additional red tape when trading with our single largest export market. Such a decision would be unacceptable to business and deeply damaging to our economy."

He was full of praise for the Spark Accelerator.

He said: "This is a fantastic example of how financial institutions can help to nurture the next generation of businesses. The work being done here is helping entrepreneurs and business people contribute to their community and to the economy, and I look forward to seeing these companies grow and succeed in the future."