Jeremy Clarkson suspended: Half of British public think Top Gear presenter should be sacked

Jeremy Clarkson was suspended for allegedly punching a Top Gear producer

Jeremy Clarkson attends A Night Of Heroes: The Sun Military Awards at National Maritime Museum on December 10, 2014 in London, England. (Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)

In the face of a hugely popular online petition calling for the BBC to reinstate Jeremy Clarkson and support from the Prime Minister, a YouGov poll has found that almost half of the British public believe he should be sacked.

The BBC announced earlier this week that it had suspended the Top Gear presenter following a “fracas” with a producer.

A YouGov poll of 780 UK adults conducted yesterday revealed that 45 per cent believe Clarkson should be sacked over the alleged incident, while 36 percent believe he should keep his job.

In comparison, 45 per cent of Ukip voters believe he should not be sacked, and 40 per cent of Lib Dems.

Further proving Clarkson's enduring popularity, 78 per cent of very frequent Top Gear viewers are firmly opposed to his dismissal, while fairly frequent viewers tend to oppose this by a smaller margin (49 to 32 per cent).