RAYLEIGH and Wickford MP Mark Francois has reportedly vowed to climb Big Ben and chime it himself for Brexit day.

Mr Francois appeared on Good Morning Britain this morning to further his case that the bells should chime when the UK leaves the European Union on January 31.

The clock tower is undergoing major restoration works meaning the bells are not chiming regularly.

Kate McCann, Sky News' political correspondent, previously tweeted: "Big Ben bong fans. Understand Mark Francois intends to intervene in the debate shortly to make the case for a Brexit bong. If cost is the concern he’s willing to take a big hammer up there and bong it himself."

The issue was discussed at a meeting of the House of Commons Commission on Monday, however it was ultimately ruled out after it was revealed that it would cost £500,000 - up from the original estimate of £120,000.

The expanded budget stems from the need to put in and remove a temporary floor in order to ring the bell.

A source told The Daily Telegraph: "No-one in the meeting thought it was worth spending £500,000 on having Big Ben strike the hour on one occasion.

"When you consider what else that money could be spent on, it's very hard to make an argument in favour of it."

Another source reportedly said there wasn't enough time to plan for the bell to ring, saying the project team would need "at least two weeks" to prepare.

Mr Francois told the paper he was "very disappointed" with the commission's decision.

He added: "I've already offered to go up Big Ben myself, ably assisted by (European Scrutiny Committee chair) Bill Cash, to ring the bell myself to save money," he said.

"If all else fails, the BBC must have a recording of Big Ben chiming they could play at 11pm at no cost whatsoever to taxpayers."