'Get back to Parliament': Boris Johnson heckled during speech shortly after being accosted in street over Brexit

Audience member told PM he should be in Westminster 'sorting out the mess that you have created'

Boris Johnson has been interrupted during a high-profile speech by a heckler protesting at his decision to suspend parliament in the run-up to the Brexit deadline.

The prime minister’s speech in Rotherham ground briefly to a halt as the man shouted “get back to parliament”.

The incident came shortly after Mr Johnson was accosted in the street by a woman who told him he had “a cheek” to come to Yorkshire after the suffering which Conservative austerity policies had caused in the area.

Charity worker Ben Gilchrist said he had not gone to the event with the intention of confronting the PM but "boiled over in frustration" when Mr Johnson began talking about the value of democracy just days after closing the doors of parliament.

In a speech setting out plans to give more powers to local authorities in the North of England, Mr Johnson said that as a former city mayor he knew very well “the transformative potential of local accountable leadership, someone with the power to sort out what matters most to local people”.

At this point Mr Gilchrist, from Manchester, intervened with a loudly shouted question: “Like our MPs, Boris? Maybe get back to parliament?”

The visit to Yorkshire was Mr Johnson’s first appearance in public since the controversial “prorogation” of parliament on Monday.

Stumbling slightly over his words, the PM replied: “I’m all in favour of our MPs…”

But he was interrupted again with a shouted: “Why are you not with them in parliament, sorting out the mess that you have created?”

Mr Johnson - who has shut the doors of Westminster to MPs until the Queen’s Speech on 14 October - said: “I”m very happy to get back to parliament very soon..”

But Mr Gilchrist continued, to a few claps: “Why don’t you sort it out Boris?”

As the charity worker was removed by security guards, Mr Johnson won some laughter by saying: “We want to see towns and communities able to represent that guy and sort out his needs.”

And he joked that he had “left prematurely, not necessarily under his own steam”.

Mr Gilchrist later said he had gone to the Convention of the North at the Magna Science Adventure Centre to discuss initiatives to promote the potential of the region.

"I wasn't sure whether I was going to stand up and say something, although I prepared myself to do so," he said. "He was talking about how much he thinks it is important for there to be local representation.

"That was the point at which I just boiled over with frustration and I stood up and said 'What about the MPs, Boris? What about parliament?'

"I am so concerned about the proroguing of parliament and that real attack on democracy and the hypocrisy, the contrast between what he was saying and his actions and the fact that he must think we are stupid."

Mr Gilchrist insisted his intervention was not driven by party politics or his belief in EU membership.

"I have got an opinion on Brexit, but actually the proroguing has made me more passionate, because I see it as a flagrant attack on democracy and on those fundamental values of our country," he said.

"It is not about being party political or about Brexit per se. The whole point of Brexit was supposed to be about repatriating powers and allowing parliament to do its job. For me, it's the attack on democracy that's the real issue."

During a visit to Doncaster earlier in the day, Mr Johnson was confronted by an angry woman who told him: “People have died because of austerity.

"And you’ve got the cheek to come here and tell us austerity is over and it’s all good now and we’re going to leave the EU and everything’s going to be great – it’s just a fairy tale.”

He showed no reaction as one man told him: “Find a deal here? This is Doncaster, not Europe.”