FRENCH presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has been left red-faced after appearing to steal large chunks of a disgraced rival’s speech.

Ms Le Pen, of the far-right National Front party, has been mocked widely on social media after delivering parts of an address given by centre-right leader Francois Fillon.

3 Ms Le Pen appears to steal large chunks of Francois Fillion's speech about national identity

3 Republicans candidate Fillon was still in the presidential race when he delivered the speech two weeks ago

The incident is bizarrely reminiscent of Melania Trump's July 2016 speech at the Republican national convention - which was eerily similar to one made by Michelle Obama in 2008.

Speaking at her final major campaign rally on Sunday in Villepinte, just north east of Paris, the feisty firebrand spoke of "an alternative way" forward for French nationalism.

She then launched into a high-brow description of "the French way" and how it "remains a hope for the world in the 21st Century."

Unfortunately, Fillon, the leader of the Republicans Party, had said exactly the same thing during a speech near Limoges, two weeks ago.

At the time Mr Fillon was still hoping he could become the new president, before being dumped out of the race following the first round of voting last Sunday.

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His defeat was blamed on the fact that Mr Fillon and his Welsh-born wife, Penelope Fillon, have been indicted over a fake jobs scandal and face criminal trial and prison.

Now a video has been posted on YouTube showing a minute-and-a-half of the two speeches in which Ms Le Pen says almost exactly the same thing as Mr Fillon.

As well as making the same points, and using the same facts, the pair’s delivery and mannerisms are almost identical too.

According to Liberation newspaper “the resemblance does not stop at this extract. Other passages of Marine Le Pen’s speech seem to be inspired, to say the least, by that of Francois Fillon.”

3 Len Pen is trailing behind presidential frontrunner Macron going into this weekend's run off for France's top job Credit: Reuters

Despite her strong opposition to immigration, the EU and globalisation, Ms Le Pen has struggled to be taken seriously as a potential head of state.

And the sight of her having to plagiarise a discredited rival’s words will come as a blow to her electoral ambitions.

Despite the scandal, Ms Le Pen has been praised for shedding the National Front's reputation for anti-antisemitism after she booted out her own father and the party's founder Jean Marie Le Pen in 2015.

Poll numbers suggest that Ms Le Pen trails behind frontrunner Emmanuel Macron who is leader of his own centre-left party En Marche! going into the run off this Sunday.

This the first time in modern history of French politics that the remaining candidates in the final round of voting have not been from either of the two main political parties.

Opinion polls suggest Mr Macron is the outright favourite, and could sweep to victory with a majority of more than 60%, according to some polls.

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