Mark Francois (right) told anti-Brexit protestor Steve Bray he would be 'signing his death warrant'

A Brexit-supporting Tory MP has told a Remain campaigner he would be “signing his death warrant” once Britain leaves the EU.

Mark Francois, a prominent member of the Brexit-backing European Research Group (ERG), was filmed making the comments to prominent campaigner Steve Bray on Tuesday.

As Mr Francois was accosted by Mr Bray, the Tory MP stopped and said: “In the nicest possible way we’re signing your death warrant.

In normal circumstances, if a public figure threatened a member of the public by saying “we’re signing your death warrant”, they would be sacked or forced to resign. This should also apply to Mark Francois. pic.twitter.com/D6Qufek3PQ — James Melville (@JamesMelville) June 19, 2019

“On the 31st October you’re out of a job. I’m sure you can find something else productive to do.”

Mr Bray responded: “It’s not a job, it’s a passion. Saving our nation.”

After the video was posted on Twitter, Mr Francois’ comments were criticised by some who labelled them “threatening” - while others insisted the comments were taken too seriously:

Mark 'littlest Englander' Francois tries to act big, and fails... — Dr Jonathan Kershaw (@jeckythump) June 19, 2019

Francois is a reprehensible cretin but this is a classic case of misinterpretation. Any reasonable person knows that he’s not actually being literal and to suggest otherwise is a disservice to those who oppose him and his ilk. — 𝐅𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 (@fionndavenport) June 19, 2019

I can't stand Mark Francois. I'm certain his "death warrant" quip was simply a joke, however. If he'd said "I could throttle you" to our hero Steve Bray, nobody would be talking. — Rickland Chester 🇬🇧🇪🇺🌍 (@Col_Orange) June 19, 2019

If the police tell MPs that they need to tone down their language and Mark Francois then uses inflammatory language, the police should state that they are speaking to him face-to-face or end up looking like they can be easily ignored by the elite. — Natalie Lawrence (@IamNLawrence) June 19, 2019

Mr Francois has come out in support of Boris Johnson in the Tory leadership contest.

Mr Johnson, the runaway favourite to become the Prime Minister next month, has vowed to deliver Brexit by the October deadline - with or without a deal.

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The former Foreign Secretary’s bid to become PM received a fresh boost as former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab backed his campaign.

The endorsement of Mr Johnson by the hardline Brexiteer came as fellow leadership contender Rory Stewart said he was in talks with Michael Gove on "combining forces" in the contest.

Mr Francois is a member of the Brexit-backing European Research Group of Tory MPs (Getty)

Such a move would be seen at Westminster as a "Stop Boris" bid in the battle for the Tory crown.

Mr Raab, who was eliminated from the contest in the second round after receiving support from only 30 MPs, said Mr Johnson was the sole contender who would ensure Brexit happened by October 31.

Mr Bray is a prominent anti-Brexit campaigner (Getty)

He told the London Evening Standard: "The only candidate who will now do this is Boris Johnson - and so I'll be supporting him to become our next prime minister.

"Boris will make sure we leave the EU on time and move on to uniting the country behind a positive programme where everyone can benefit from the UK's success."