Conservative MPs have demanded The Sun newspaper take immediate action after Jeremy Clarkson’s criticism of the Duchess of Sussex.
Jeremy Clarkson’s Sun newspaper column has sent shockwaves throughout British media and raised questions about the limits of columnist’s criticism of public personalities. The piece, in which he says he “hated” the Duchess of Sussex, was met with an avalanche of complaints to ISPOS, making it the regulator’s most complained story in a matter of hours. Daily Express Royal Correspondent Richard Palmer joined the chorus of critics, saying the former Top Gear broadcaster has crossed a red line.
He told the Royal Round-Up: “I can’t quite see how it got in the paper
“I think he writes in an over the top style sometimes. And it’s clearly very popular with a section ofthe public – particularly blokes who watch programmes about cars and some of the other things he’s involved in.
“I could see that there was a reference to Games of Thrones because I watched all of that programme.
“And I can see that the newspaper colmunist are paid to be slightly over the top to get a reaction from readers. But I think it was just a really bad mistake
Mr Palmer noticed Jeremy Clarkson “sort of” apologised with the following statement: “Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people. I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future.”
As a royal correspondent, Richard Palmer said he got wind of racism allegations against Mr Clarkson and “I really found that hard to stomach”. He added: “That was so unwelcome for me because it just played into the hands of people who do argue that British media are racist.
“And I strongly disagree with that in general. It is right that The Sun has withdrawn that column.”
Jeremy Clarkson’s Sun newspaper column went viral in the hours following its release on Monday and quickly became the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s most complained about article before being taken out the website
demand The Sun act (Image: GETTY)
In total, IPSO said the piece had received more than 20,800 complaints as of 5pm on Tuesday.
“We will follow our usual processes to examine the complaints we have received. This will take longer than usual because of the volume of complaints,” an IPSO spokesperson said, adding that the number of complaints would be subject to change
The number also topped the total number of complaints the media regulator received in 2021, which was 14,355.
Now, more than 60 MPs have written to the editor of The Sun, Victoria Newton, condemning the column “in the strongest terms”. The move spearheaded by Conservative MP Caroline Nokes demanded that the publication take action against Mr Clarkson.
The letter said the columnist’s “hateful” article about the Duchess of Sussex had fuelled an “unacceptable climate of hatred and violence”.
In one of his harshest remarks, the former Top Gear presenter said he was “dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her”.
Cross-party MPs said they are “horrified at the recent article by Jeremy Clarkson in your publication” and “condemn in the strongest terms the violent misogynistic language” against Meghan Markle.
“This sort of language has no place in our country, and it is unacceptable that it was allowed to be published in a mainstream newspaper. Ms Markle has faced multiple credible threats to her life, requiring the intervention of the Metropolitan Police.”
The letter added MPs are “deeply concerned about the role modelling being promoted to young men and boys” in the article, which could suggest it is “okay to use violent language to address a woman that you might disagree with” amid surging violence against women and girls.
Finally, Ms Nokes said she and the other MPs “demand action is taken against Mr Clarkson and an unreserved apology is issued to Ms Markle immediately”, and that definitive action is taken to ensure “no article like this is ever published again.
