Jeremy Clarkson U-turns on claims he bought farm to avoid inheritance tax after being called out

Jeremy Clarkson has backpedalled connected his erstwhile comments astir why helium bought his farm, saying helium thought it would beryllium a ‘better PR communicative if I said I bought it to debar paying tax’.

The TV presenter and writer defied doctors’ orders by joining thousands of farmers successful London connected Tuesday to protest against cultivation inheritance taxation changes.

During the protest, helium was served a grilling from Victoria Derbyshire, wherever helium blasted her questions arsenic ‘classic BBC’ aft she threw his ain words backmost astatine him.

The 64-year-old, who fronts Prime Video’s Clarkson’s Farm, which documents the trials of farming connected his onshore successful Oxfordshire, wrote successful a station connected the Top Gear website successful 2010: ‘I person bought a farm. There are galore sensible reasons for this: Land is simply a amended concern than immoderate slope tin offer. The government doesn’t get immoderate of my wealth erstwhile I die. And the terms of the nutrient that I turn tin lone spell up.’

Clarkson besides told The Times successful 2021 that avoiding inheritance taxation was ‘the captious thing’ successful his determination to bargain land.

He is present firmly against the farming inheritance tax, which was introduced successful past month’s Budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and volition spot a taxation of 20% raised connected cultivation assets supra £1 million.

At the London protest, Newsnight big Derbyshire asked Clarkson: ‘So it’s not astir you, it’s not astir your workplace and the information that you brought a workplace to debar inheritance tax?’

After repeating, ‘No,’ helium questioned their facts: ‘Classic BBC. The information that I bought a workplace to debar inheritance tax? The fact?’

Addressing the assertion successful a caller interrogation with The Times, the erstwhile Top Gear presenter said: ‘I ne'er did admit wherefore I truly bought it.’

The instrumentality of crippled vertebrate shooting added: ‘I wanted to person a sprout – I was precise naive. I conscionable thought it would beryllium a amended PR communicative if I said I bought it to debar paying tax.’

Clarkson was among the thousands who took to the streets this week to protestation implicit the changes successful the caller Budget to enforce inheritance taxation connected farms worthy much than £1 cardinal and helium addressed the crowds astatine the march successful cardinal London.

He told the paper helium is not blessed to beryllium the nationalist look of the movement, saying: ‘It should beryllium led by farmers.’

The presenter said helium does not see himself a husbandman due to the fact that determination are ‘so galore basal jobs’ which helium cannot do, but helium feels his relation is to ‘report connected farming’.

His comments travel aft helium told Derbyshire astatine the protest: ‘Okay, let’s commencement from the beginning. I wanted a [pheasant] shoot, okay? That’s adjacent worse to the BBC. I wanted a shoot, which comes with the payment of not paying inheritance tax. Now I do.

‘But radical similar maine volition conscionable enactment it successful a trust, and arsenic agelong arsenic I unrecorded for 7 years that’s fine, and arsenic my girl said, “You volition unrecorded for 7 years”.

‘You mightiness beryllium successful a heavy frost astatine the extremity of it, but you volition unrecorded for 7 years.’

Earlier this month, it was confirmed Clarkson’s Farm, which has attracted immense attraction to his Diddly Squat workplace shop, had been renewed for a 5th series.

Asked whether the contented down the taxation protestation is that agrarian poorness is hidden, Clarkson agreed and said his programme was not helping to code the situation.

‘One of the problems we person connected the amusement is we’re not showing the poorness either, due to the fact that evidently connected Diddly Squat determination isn’t immoderate poverty,’ helium said.

‘But spot me, determination is implicit poverty. I’m surrounded by farmers. I’m not going retired for meal with James Dyson.

‘It’s radical with 200 acres, 400 acres. Way past Rachel Reeves’s threshold. They are f*****.’

The paper columnist besides presents Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? connected ITV. The Grand Tour, his motoring amusement with erstwhile Top Gear colleagues Richard Hammond and James May, ended successful September.

Discussing whether helium mightiness determination into politics, Clarkson said: ‘I’d beryllium a unspeakable governmental leader, hopeless.

‘I’m a writer astatine heart, I similar throwing rocks astatine radical than having them thrown astatine me.’

However, helium said helium would beryllium ‘100% down immoderate escalation’ aft the farmers’ march.

Clarkson revealed past period helium had undergone a bosom process to person stents fitted aft experiencing a ‘sudden deterioration’ successful his wellness which brought connected symptoms of being ‘clammy’, a ‘tightness’ successful his thorax and ‘pins and needles’ successful his near arm.

He said successful a Sunday Times file that 1 of his arteries was ‘completely blocked and the 2nd of 3 was heading that way’ and doctors said helium was possibly ‘days away’ from becoming precise ill.

Asked if helium is reasoning astir retiring, the Doncaster-born personage said: ‘Probably not. It depends erstwhile you die, I ever think.

‘You’d beryllium surprised, america Northerners are made of beardown stuff.’

Clarkson’s Farm is disposable to ticker connected Amazon Prime Video.

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