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Brexiteer MP Mark Francois roasted after bragging about his army training

Brexiteer MP Mark Francois roasted after bragging about his army training

Conservative MP Mark Francois has only recently burst into the spotlight after a bizarre Brexit argument with Will Self that culminated in an excruciatingly long stare-off.

And less than a week later, the deputy chair of the hard-line pro-Brexit European Research Group is being roasted for claiming that he was once in the army.

But according to his own website, Francois actually served as an infantry officer in the Territorial Army.

During an interview on Wednesday night after MPs voted to reject the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, Sky News presenter Beth Rigby asked Francois:

I don’t understand: why you don’t just take her deal and bank the win?

And Francois responded:

Because it’s not a win, it’s a lose. I’m not going to bank a lose. I was in the army, I wasn’t trained to lose.

However, his MP's website says he read "war studies" at university before serving as an infantry officer in the Territorial Army "during the Cold War".

The Territorial Army is made up of people from all walks of life who give up weekends, holidays and even head off on six-month stints on active duty abroad.

People on Twitter were quick to point out that Francois' stint in the TA hardly made him "a battle scarred veteran".

Naturally, many responded to his claim with Dad’s Army memes.

And of course The Office and Family Guy were referenced too.

Other people highlighted that in fact Francois has lost in the past – despite his “training”.

While others asked whether anyone in any job has even been trained to lose.

Although Francois' military background still doesn’t explain why he’s still wearing a poppy – in March.

Francois has voted twice against May’s Brexit deal, and on Wednesday night voted against ruling out a no-deal Brexit.

The Conservative MP has become known for his outbursts on live TV where he frequently appears to put forward a pro-Brexit position.

During an interview on BBC News in January, he was severely criticised for bringing up the Second World War during a tirade at the German CEO of Airbus.

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