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A rising star Tory MP has branded the Government a “sh*t show” and questioned whether the party still shares his “values and ethos”.

In a jaw-dropping interview for The House, Parliament’s in-house magazine , ex-British Army officer Johnny Mercer, who was only elected in 2015 said that with hindsight his pre-MP self “wouldn’t vote”.

And he attacked Theresa May and her Chequers plan.

But he says he’d still like to be Defence Secretary.

Mr Mercer is an Afghanistan veteran who served with 29 Commando, part of the Royal Artillery, before becoming an MP.

Since being elected he has joined the Defence Select Committee and campaigned for veterans, including those with mental health problems and others facing prosecution for alleged crimes during the Troubles.

He took his Devon seat from Labour in 2015 and increased his majority to more than 5,000 last year.

He gained notoriety when it emerged he had appeared in a shower gel advertisement, in which he was shown soaping himself while half naked.

And just this week he was on a charity edition of Channel 4 game show Celebrity Hunted, for which he skipped a session of the Health Select Committee.

Here’s a run-down of the most…honest answers he gave in the interview.

1. He says he wouldn't vote Tory if he wasn't a Tory MP

(Image: PA)

Asked how the Johnny Mercer who left the military in 2012 would vote now, he said: “I wouldn’t go and vote.

"Just being honest, I wouldn’t vote. Of course I wouldn’t, no.”

2. He says he's not even sure if the Conservative Party reflects his views any more

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“There’s no doubt about it that my set of values and ethos, I was comfortable that it was aligned with the Conservative party. I’m not as comfortable that that’s the case anymore.”

3. He says the current situation is a 's**t show'

(Image: Daily Mirror)

"It’s very difficult because in my DNA I’m inherently a team player.

“But when you go home from here on a Thursday and go for a run across Dartmoor or whatever, and you’re stripped to your core being, I mean, yeah, you realise it’s a s**t show."

4. And he definitely wouldn't be a Tory MP if he were joining the party now

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

“If the situation was like it is now, I can safely say there would be absolutely no chance that I would try and be a Member of Parliament.”

5. Here's what he said when he was asked if he wanted to be part of the current government team

(Image: Plymouth Herald / SWNS.com)

"Well no, of course not.

“I’ve been, how do I say this… when I was asked to do a certain role and made it clear that I couldn’t for one reason or another, it was made very clear to me that… I can’t, I can’t. I mean, would I want to be part of this administration?

"No."

6. And he was very specific about what's stopping him

(Image: PA)

"Look, I think it’s very clear that this current administration under this Chief Whip, under this Prime Minister, there is no role for people like me.

"That’s fine because nothing lasts forever."

7. In fact, he'd like to be Defence Secretary, and says he'd 'rip apart' the Ministry of Defence

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"My ambition here has always been to be Defence Secretary. I’d love to be a Defence Secretary who had ten years to rip apart that department, make it work, get the offer right to our young people.

"We are such an amazing, proud military nation. It’s really tough to see what’s going on now."

8. And (referring to himself in the third person) he says he's ready for a 's**t fight'

(Image: Channel 4)

"Going forward, at the end of the day, above everything about being an MP, above being Johnny Mercer, any of this stuff, a Conservative or whatever, I’m a patriot.

“I’m not going to sit at the back of the bus and watch it head towards the edge of the cliff. I’m not going to let us go down without a serious shit fight.”

9. And just in case you weren't sure what Johnny Mercer thinks about Theresa May, here's what he said about her Chequers plan

(Image: STEPHANIE LECOCQ/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

“If you look at Chequers, for example, that is your classic professional politician’s answer because it’s right down the middle. It doesn’t make anybody happy. It’s the ultimate in not making a decision.

“And I’m afraid, people who pay our wages and vote for us expect us to make decisions and get on with government, not be fixated on us retaining our position."