ITV issue statement on Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield 'queue jumping' claims as pair face criticism

This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have been accused of jumping the long queue to see the Queen at her lying-in-state.

A wave of online criticism has been directed at the pair - with people citing the fact that many thousands of people have been queuing for up to 24 hours, to pay their respects to the Queen with other celebrities - including David Beckham - waiting among them.

The backlash has led ITV to issue a statement on the presenters' behalf. The producers of This Morning claim that Holly and Phillip had not jumped the queue - and were instead at Westminster Hall in a professional capacity to cover the event.

The statement on Instagram read, "Hello everyone, we would like to clarify something. We asked Phillip and Holly to be part of a film for this Tuesday’s programme. They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state – but instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world’s media to report on the event."

The programme confirmed that the pair had used their press accreditations to avoid spending hours in the queue and, while they did have the opportunity to pay their respects ahead of the Queen's funeral, they were there primarily to film a segment for Tuesday's episode of This Morning.

Despite the statement, some observers felt it simply was not good enough - while the pair also has their defenders. On Twitter, journalist Joe Michalczuk asked, "Why do people like this think they’re special?"

However, CaitlinMoran wrote: "To be fair to Holly and Phil for 'jumping' the queue while David Beckham did the full nine hours. Holly and Phil were there reporting, and doing their job. There is a difference."

In more recent news, rumours of a rift between the presenting duo have viewers wondering if Holly and Phil have fallen out.