Jeremy Clarkson was criticised for saying he bought his own farm as an inheritance tax dodge over a decade ago, but the petrol head-turned-TV farming champion is now changing the story.
In 2009, Clarkson, whose farm Diddly Squat is the location and subject of Prime Video global hit show Clarkson’s Farm, wrote in a newspaper column, “Land is a better investment than any bank can offer. The government doesn’t get any of my money when I die.”
Following a week in which Clarkson marched with other farmers in protest at the government’s proposed plan to levy farmers with inheritance tax, he has now said this wasn’t the real reason for his purchase.
In an interview with The Times of London, the presenter shared: “I never did admit why I really bought it… I wanted to have a shoot — I was very naive. I just thought it would be a better PR story if I said I bought it to avoid paying tax.”
Clarkson has proved to be an ardent advocate for his new rural farming community, saying government figures don’t understand the burden on farmers across the UK. However, he rebutted the idea, raised by many, that he should go into politics to represent his adopted group: “I’d be a terrible political leader, hopeless. I’m a journalist at heart, I prefer throwing rocks at people than having them thrown at me.”