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A Tory MP has accused the author Will Self of "winding him up" by asking a personal question about his genitalia just before they went on live TV.

Mark Francois hit back today after he was criticised over his clash with Self on the BBC's Politics Live.

During the clash last week, the solemn Brexiteer branded Self "snide and outrageous" for suggesting every racist and anti-Semite voted for Brexit .

Now the MP has claimed there was another reason he was on edge - and it'll have you choking on your cornflakes.

He told BBC Breakfast: "What your viewers don't know is what Will Self said to me just before we went on air.

(Image: BBC/Twitter)

"I won't repeat it because it's a breakfast show and children will be watching.

"But just before we began the interview he asked me a question about my genitalia.

"The guy was looking to wind me up. He definitely wanted an argument."

Comedian Grace Campbell, who was on the show that day, claimed Self "told Francois he had a little penis".

In a separate TV interview today, Mr Francois brandished a government leaflet from 2016 that said ministers would implement the result of the EU referendum.

He was speaking amid fears Theresa May's Brexit deal will suffer a second historic defeat tomorrow night - with calls mounting for her to delay or change the vote.

(Image: Sky News)

In the clash last week Self said: “Every racist and anti-Semite probably voted for Brexit”.

Mr Francois, who is vice-chairman of European Research Group demanded the writer apologise.

He said the comments were a “slur on 17.4m people”.