News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch says the page three topless pin-ups featured in his British tabloid newspaper The Sun are “old fashioned”, but the paying customers want to retain them.

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The executive chairman of the firm asked his Twitter followers for their opinion after saying: “Aren’t beautiful young women more attractive in at least some fashionable clothes?”

He said: “Brit feminists bang on forever about page 3. I bet never buy paper. I think old fashioned but readers seem to disagree.”

The paper’s editor has defended the controversial feature in the past, saying women readers fully support it.

Last year, David Dinsmore told BBC Radio 5 Live he was “standing (his) ground” despite pressure from politicians, anti-sexism campaigners and student bodies.

He said: “I think that it is a lively issue for people who don’t buy the paper and we’ve done the research, done the focus groups and in many ways listened to the campaigners to say: ‘What does it mean to our readers?’

“The result comes back a resounding ‘keep it there, don’t take it away’.”