Clarkson for PM? Maybe not says Downing St

LONDON (Reuters) - Downing Street denied on Wednesday that the government had wasted taxpayers' money by making a humorous video response to a petition calling for TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson to be made prime minister.

The video, which appears on Gordon Brown's office's official website, thanks the 49,447 people who signed the online petition and says: "We've thought long and hard about it".

The camera then zooms in on the door of 10 Downing Street, before panning through the inside and the pictures of former prime ministers before it finishes with a framed image of Clarkson, the outspoken host of motoring show "Top Gear".

"But on second thoughts ... Maybe not," reads a caption.

The Conservatives said the "frivolous" video was a waste of taxpayers money.

"This shows how detached the Labour party has become from the concerns of the British people," said a Conservative spokesman.

A spokesman for Brown said the video had been put together in just half an hour.

"It was a light-hearted response to a light-hearted petition," the spokesman said.

Watch the video ">here

(Reporting by Michael Holden)