More than 263,000 have joined the Facebook group

Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson should be Prime Minister – according to more than 290,000 fans.

A staggering 263,000 Clarksonites have joined the 'Jeremy Clarkson should be Prime Minister' group on social networking website, Facebook.

And more than 30,000 have signed a similar online petition on the government's Number 10 website.

In May 2007 we reported how 70,000 fans had joined the Facebook group, but the Internet phenomenon has gathered pace and increased almost four-fold in just eight months – and the Number 10 petition by a similar amount.

The founder of the Facebook group, Ed Johnson has proposed a cabinet to work alongside the Petrolheads' PM:

• Prime Minister - Jeremy Clarkson
• Chancellor of the Exchequer - James May
• Foreign Secretary - Richard Hammond
• Home Secretary - Hugh Laurie
• Deputy Prime Minister - Hugh Grant
• Trans Secretary - The Stig
• Health Secretary - Jonathan Ross
• Education Secretary - Stephen Fry
• Defence Secretary - Boris Johnson
• Trade Secretary - Simon Cowell
• Culture Secretary - Peter Kay
• Customs and Excise - Charles Kennedy
• UN Rep - Michael Palin
• NATO Permanent Rep - Gordon Ramsey
• Head of Bank of England - John Cleese
• Policy Coordinator - Stephen Merchant
• Minister to EU - Rowan Atkinson
• Chief of Defence Staff - Dick Strawbridge

Jeremy Clarkson was recently voted the fourth wittiest man in Britain, beating fifth-placed wartime PM Winston Churchill.

And last year Auto Trader had Jeremy Clarkson's old Ford Escort Cosworth advertised for sale – which he famously named Gary.