Portsmouth MP talks at Brexit rally ahead of EU referendum

Ms Mordaunt, who represents Portsmouth North, was one of three speakers at the event in Southsea yesterday.

The armed forces minister was joined by MP Tom Pursglove and the co-founder of leave campaign Grassroots Out, MP Peter Bone.

The event at the Royal Naval Club and Royal Albert Yacht Club, on Pembroke Road, was attended by a few supporters of the leave campaign known as Brexit.

During her speech, Ms Mordaunt said: ‘There are many campaigns around the UK to try to get us our freedom back.

‘Grassroots Out is about telling people why we are safer and better off if we can determine our own future.

‘In times of crisis, our nation has a proud history of showing leadership. That has meant drawing on the triumphs of British traits.

‘There’s our common sense, courage and self-confidence. We have followed our common sense throughout history. Change takes courage.

‘The Remain campaign’s propaganda is designed to scare us.’

But Portsmouth South MP Flick Drummond, who is part of the Remain campaign, said projections on what could happen if we leave the EU are needed.

She told The News: ‘We have had from a lot of international organisations what might happen if we leave the EU from an economic point of view.

‘If they do not do these projections, they will be failing and if we do decide to vote to leave, they have warned us about what could happen.’

Mrs Drummond added: ‘I believe that we should stay in the EU from an economic point of view. We can trade with millions of people and that is for small and big businesses.

‘We have had 70 years of peace and we need to keep that by working closely with our allies.’

Yesterday’s rally came after former prime minister Sir John Major launched an assault on the ‘squalid’ Brexit campaign being run by Tories Boris Johnson and Michael Gove.

He attacked its ‘deceitful’ claims and accused Brexit backers of ‘misleading’ the public.

The vote on whether Britain should stay in the EU is on Thursday, June 23.