Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has dismissed suggestions he has copied his style from Walter the Softy - as the Beano character is actually “more macho”.
On Wednesday morning Beano Studios jokingly claimed it would sue the leading Brexiteer backbencher for “impersonating” their cartoon.
But speaking to BBC News, Rees-Mogg said the comparison did not make any sense.
“What can I say except apart from compared to me, Walter is Mr Muscle,” he said. “I’m a fairly weedy fellow.
“I just can’t compete with the macho behavior of Walter.”
The MP for North East Somerset also bristled at the suggestion he shared Walter’s “distinctive round glasses and snootiness”.
Rees-Mogg joked: “I don’t think round glasses are unique are they?
“I hope I’m not snooty? I think snootiness is very unpleasant actually. If I am snooty it would be inadvertent.”
Mike Stirling, Head of Beano Studios, Scotland said: “We were flattered when we discovered that Jacob Rees-Mogg has dedicated his life to impersonating one of my favourite Beano characters, young Walter.
“Nonetheless, as a hard-working British media company, we would prefer the public gets its Walter fix in the pages of our comics and on Beano.com, rather than played out on the political stage. In other words, bog off Rees-Mogg!”