Jeremy Clarkson has been cleared over comments he made about striking public sector workers, with the television watchdog Ofcom ruling his rant was justified. The Top Gear presenter was forced to apologise after the Bbc received 31,700 complaints following his appearance on the show last year, reports Press Association.
On November 30, 2011, on the evening of the biggest public sector strike for 30 years, Clarkson said the striking workers should be "executed in front of their families". At the time, Prime Minister David Cameron branded the star's statement "silly", and Clarkson was heavily criticized in the press. However, Ofcom said that while the comments were "potentially offensive", they were in fact justified by the context. The watchdog said One Show hosts Matt Baker and Alex Jones had actually introduced Clarkson by referencing his provocative and outspoken nature, adding that due to his "well established public persona", his comments were "not an expression of seriously held beliefs". Ofcom conceded that despite reports that Clarkson's comments were pre-approved by the Bbc, he had in fact been advised not to air the kind of remark he went on to make.
After Clarkson had apologised for the remarks, Unison had invited him to spend a day with a healthcare assistant.