Phillip Schofield’s We Buy Any Car deal ends as queue-gate petition passes 77k

Phillip Schofield's long-running advertising deal with We Buy Any Car has come to an end - as a petition calling for his resignation from This Morning has passed 77,000 signatures.

The ITV daytime host and his co-star Holly Willoughby have come under fire in recent weeks after accusations that they "jumped the queue" at the Queen's lying in state, although ITV clarified that they were in a media line as official reporters on the event.

Read more: This Morning gets complaints over Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield addressing queue-gate

Despite the explanation, disgruntled members of the public have signed a petition over queue-gate calling for the presenters to be axed from This Morning, which has now reached nearly 78,000 signatures.

Now, Schofield's five-year advertising deal with We Buy Any Car has come to an end, with photos of the star no longer appearing on the company's social media accounts and he also does not feature in the latest TV adverts.

However, the car selling company have said that the end of the deal was always planned to happen this year and has nothing to do with queue-gate.

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A spokesperson said: “Webuyanycar and Phillip Schofield agreed earlier this year that the webuyanycar/Phillip Schofield campaign would come to an end in 2022, having worked together for over five years.

“The decision was made prior to any recent stories regarding Phillip.”

We Buy Any Car's association with Schofield saw their adverts mocked as social media users posted memes and jokes to the tune of their campaign that replaced the slogan with "we jump any queue".

Schofield and Willoughby addressed queue-gate the day after the Queen's funeral in a special tribute episode that included mobile phone footage of the co-stars giving their reactions to having walked through Westminster Hall during the lying in state.

A voiceover from Willoughby said: "Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists, we were given official permission to access the hall.

"It was strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event for millions of people in the UK who haven't been able to visit Westminster in person.

"The rules were that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back. In contrast, those paying respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause.

"None of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone's place in the queue and no one filed past the Queen.

"We of course respected those rules however we realise that it may have looked like something else and therefore we totally understand the reaction.

"Please know that we would never jump a queue."

Watch: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield seen being escorted past lying in state queue