Moment Jeremy Clarkson is cheered by crowds at farmers 'tractor tax' protest as he slams BBC after clash with Victoria Derbyshire over 'biased' questions

Jeremy Clarkson has unleased a ferocious onslaught connected the BBC claiming they are the 'mouthpiece of this infernal government' arsenic helium was cheered connected by thousands of farmers astatine a wide protestation successful London.

Farmers descended connected the superior from arsenic acold distant arsenic Northumberland to amusement their choler and dismay astatine Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget plan to bounds the existing 100 per cent inheritance taxation alleviation connected farms to lone the archetypal £1million. 

She says it volition lone impact the wealthiest 500 estates each twelvemonth but experts from the NFU accidental it volition beryllium up to 70,000 farms.

Mr Clarkson, who is recovering from a life-saving bosom operation, attended the lawsuit alongside his Clarkson's Farm co-stars Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland, theatre legend Andrew Lloyd-Webber and dozens of MPs including Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage. 

The 64-year-old took to signifier to cheers and applause arsenic helium addressed the wide protestation of much than 13,000 farmers and their supporters.   

Farmers faced costs, unit from environmentalists and regulations, and 'we person each these complications and costs, and there's precise small wealth successful it arsenic you cognize - and past we got the Budget', helium said, to boos from the crowd. 

Earlier successful the day, Mr Clarkson - who runs Diddly Squat workplace successful Chipping Norton -  became exasperated with Victoria Derbyshire and accused her of failing to beryllium impartial during an interrogation for Newsnight connected Whitehall.

Mr Clarkson besides deed retired astatine the BBC during his speech, branding the broadcaster 'the mouthpiece of this infernal Government'. 

He said: 'Honestly, I don’t cognize wherever to start. I cognize you’ve heard a batch astir it today, and I’m not going to dwell connected that. I volition conscionable accidental this: Rachel Reeves has told us, what is it, 72 per cent of farms are going to beryllium unaffected by this?

'I’ve conscionable been interviewed by Victoria Derbyshire for Newsnight. Let’s spot if we tin amended her here. If she’s inactive around. How galore radical here, if you’d rise your hands, are from a household farm? I privation to see.

'I anticipation you tin spot that. I anticipation we’ve got our cameras from the amusement up precocious to spot that’s a batch of hands now, support them up, and I privation you to little them if you think, and you’ve had clip to enactment this out, you deliberation you’re going to beryllium unaffected by the changes to APR and BPR, enactment your hands down if you’re going to beryllium unaffected.

'Thank you. My lawsuit rests. I privation Newsnight to spot what she was trotting out. Nobody’s affected. Rachel Reeves says so. Since erstwhile was the BBC, the mouthpiece of this infernal government?'

He went to accidental helium arsenic to 'get the brakes on' adding helium is 'off my t***' connected codeine and paracetamol, earlier describing however helium had travel to recognize that farming was 'unbelievably difficult, unsafe and cold'.

'I beg of the authorities to beryllium big, to judge that this was rushed through, it wasn’t thought retired and it’s a mistake. That’s the large happening to do, admit it and backmost down,' Mr Clarkson said.

Earlier successful the day, Mr Clarkson, who worked for the BBC arsenic Top Gear big for much than 20 years,  became exasperated with Victoria Derbyshire during an interrogation for Newsnight connected Whitehall.

The statement began erstwhile Ms Derbyshire had asked him whether helium was determination for himself alternatively than British farmers, asking himto: 'So it's not astir you, your workplace and to debar inheritance attack?'.

A intelligibly taken aback Mr Clarkson instantly rolled his eyes and said: 'Classic BBC there. Classic'. Ms Derbyshire changeable back: 'Is it?', referring to an nonfiction successful the Sunday Times wherever helium wrote astir the taxation benefits of buying a farm.

Mr Clarkson past tacitly accused of her of giving an opinion, disputing her assertion that it was a 'fact' that helium bought his Oxfordshire workplace for taxation purposes, explaining it was due to the fact that helium loved state sports specified arsenic shooting.

He continued: 'Typical BBC. You people', and would aboriginal accidental to the assemblage astir them: 'Are you listening to this?' erstwhile Ms Derbyshire repeated Ms Reeves' claims that the inheritance taxation raised would 'raise wealth for nationalist services'.

Shortly aft arriving astatine the rally, Mr Clarkson joked helium was successful London to bash 'a spot of Christmas shopping' earlier saying: 'I'm present to enactment the farmers, it's that simple, due to the fact that they request each the assistance they tin get really, adjacent from me.'

Asked astir his comments successful an interrogation with the Times successful 2021 that avoiding inheritance taxation was 'the captious thing' successful his determination to bargain land, helium said: 'That's really rather comic due to the fact that the existent crushed I bought the workplace was due to the fact that I wanted to shoot, truthful I thought if I told a clump of radical that I bought a workplace truthful I could sprout pheasants it mightiness look bad.

'So, I thought I amended travel up with different excuse, truthful I said inheritance tax. I really didn't cognize astir inheritance taxation until aft I bought it. I didn't mind, obviously, but the existent crushed I bought it is due to the fact that I wanted to shoot.'

He said helium opposed the taxation changes, adding: 'If she'd person wanted to instrumentality retired the likes of James Dyson and concern bankers and truthful on, she would person utilized a sniper's rifle, but she's utilized a blunderbuss and she's deed each this lot.

'It was - arsenic I recognize it - it was a precise rushed last-minute determination and I deliberation we each marque mistakes successful life, and I deliberation it's clip for them to accidental 'you cognize what, we've cocked this 1 up a bit' and backmost down.' 

The Metropolitan Police estimated 13,000 radical attended Tuesday's protestation successful cardinal London, which called connected the Government to scrap those changes announced successful the Chancellor's Budget past month.

They gathered successful a peaceful protestation which has resulted successful nary arrests truthful far, according to the Met.

But the unit said tractor drivers who ploughed done barriers astatine the protestation volition beryllium reported.

A reddish tractor drove implicit a postulation cone and done a nary introduction motion connected Whitehall astatine astir midday, with a bluish tractor entering the protestation country down it.

Mr Farage told farmers astatine the protest: 'I tin consciousness myself that contiguous is not conscionable astir inheritance tax. It truly is farmers versus Starmer.'

The rhyme featured heavy successful signs and banners, with radical holding placards that work 'Starmer the husbandman harmer'.

Rachel Reeves was besides referenced connected signs, with 1 placard showing the Chancellor photoshopped arsenic a grim reaper adjacent to 2 cows successful a tract with the caption: 'Rachel reaper sidesplitting feeders.'

The bulk of the protestation was stationary, with radical gathered connected Whitehall listening to speeches - including 1 by Clarkson who past period underwent a bosom process and told the assemblage connected Tuesday: 'I'm disconnected my tits connected codeine and paracetamol up here.'

A tiny radical broke disconnected concisely to march successful a loop connected the roads astir Westminster, led by children connected artifact tractors.

MPs Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage and Sir Ed Davey were among the thousands of radical successful London for the farmers' protest.

Kemi Badenoch, the person of the Conservative Party, led a radical of Tory MPs attending the protest. 

She said successful a speech: 'The argumentation is cruel it is unfair and it is going to destruct the household workplace arsenic we cognize it. That is wherefore astatine the archetypal accidental we volition reverse the household workplace tax.'

Ms Badenoch explained that she understood the plight of farmers and described the taxation arsenic an onslaught connected their mode of life.

Sir Ed told farmers successful Whitehall 'you merit truthful overmuch better'.

Meanwhile, Mr Farage told farmers astatine the protest: 'I tin consciousness myself that contiguous is not conscionable astir inheritance tax. It truly is farmers versus Starmer.'

Farming leaders person accused the Chancellor of refusing to prosecute with them implicit arguable changes. 

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) held a wide lobby of MPs with 1,800 of its members - 3 times arsenic galore radical arsenic primitively planned - to impulse backbenchers to basal up to the Government's plans to enforce inheritance taxation connected farms worthy much than £1 million. 

In an affectional speech, NFU president Tom Bradshaw accused ministers of a 'stab successful the back'. 

Addressing NFU members astatine Church House successful Westminster earlier a wide lobby with MPs helium said: 'We cognize the horrendous unit it is putting connected the older procreation of farmers who person fixed everything to providing nutrient for this country.

'We cognize that immoderate taxation gross volition beryllium taken from our children and raised from those that dice successful tragic circumstances, each wrong the adjacent 7 years.'

To sustained applause, helium said: 'The quality interaction of this argumentation is simply not acceptable, it's wrong.'

He warned the argumentation was 'kicking the legs retired from nether British nutrient security'.

And helium said: 'Our petition is precise simple, this is simply a argumentation that volition rip the bosom retired of Britain's household farms, launched connected atrocious information with nary consultation, and it indispensable beryllium halted and considered properly.'

Speaking to journalists aft his speech, Mr Bradshaw was quizzed astir the evident impasse betwixt ministers who are defending the argumentation and farmers, who accidental it indispensable beryllium rethought.

'We've offered to conscionable with the Treasury to springiness them solutions to this, unfortunately, truthful far, Rachel Reeves has refused to engage,' helium said.

He refused to spell retired publically however helium thought it could beryllium resolved, but said: 'I've fixed a heartfelt plea to the Chancellor to beryllium down with maine truthful that we tin benignant this argumentation out.

'The quality interaction of this argumentation is 1 I don't judge they intended but the longer they permission this hanging, the much I commencement to deliberation it's vindictive, alternatively than miscalculated.'

Mr Bradshaw said the latest investigation by the NFU suggested 75% of commercialized farms, implicit 50 acres, would beryllium affected by the changes.

But Environment Secretary Steve Reed insisted that lone a fewer 100 farms would beryllium impacted, alternatively than the tens of thousands claimed by critics of the inheritance taxation change.

And helium denied that Labour, which has galore much MPs successful agrarian areas since the wide election, did not recognize the countryside.

He said: 'This Labour Government has conscionable allocated £5 cardinal to enactment sustainable nutrient accumulation successful the UK.

'That's the biggest fund of that benignant successful our country's past and it shows that we're backing farmers,' helium said, and outlined different measures to enactment farmers connected issues specified arsenic flooding and trade.

'All of that shows farmers that this is simply a authorities connected their broadside and the changes to inheritance taxation volition impact lone astir 500 farms. The immense bulk of farmers volition wage thing more.'

Speaking earlier Mr Bradshaw's address, a fourth-generation household husbandman said determination is simply a anticipation helium and different farmers volition onslaught if changes to cultivation spot alleviation are not reversed.

Richard Wainwright, 58, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, said: 'We are talking astir perchance striking. I anticipation it doesn't travel to that due to the fact that that's earnestly going to interaction the nutrient chain.'

On the interaction connected his farm, helium said: 'We've got to perchance merchantability a 20% stock of the farmland to beryllium capable to screen the taxation bill. For america it's astir £600,000 we are going to person to pay.

'It's similar I'm going to person to bargain my ain workplace back.'

One tenant husbandman who joined the protestation successful cardinal London said 'every azygous farmer' successful his country volition beryllium affected by changes successful the Budget.

Daniel Spours, a tenant husbandman from northbound Northumberland, travelled to Whitehall to protestation against changes to inheritance taxation and c rules which helium said volition impact the terms of fertiliser.

Mr Spours said: 'We are astir £60,000 worse disconnected adjacent twelvemonth from payments that person been slashed by the Government.

'Going forward, determination is much taxes to travel connected fertiliser that's going to impact america hugely arsenic well, truthful it's looking beauteous grim.'

Ms Reeves confirmed Government plans to present the UK Carbon Border Adjustment from January 1 2027, which Mr Spours said volition interaction the terms of fertiliser.

'I'm not a workplace owner,' Mr Spours. 'I'm conscionable a tenant, but we inactive volition beryllium impacted by concern spot relief.'

Oliver Atkinson, a mixed husbandman who grows crops and keeps livestock successful East Hampshire, said changes to inheritance taxation connected farms volition beryllium 'a immense burden'.

The 28-year-old explained: 'We are present not conscionable for the inheritance act, but there's a batch of different things that the nationalist don't cognize astir that the Government has brought successful similar a c taxation connected fertiliser, which grows 40% of the world's food. We can't bash without it.

'There are TB issues, there's the inheritance taxation which volition beryllium a immense burden.'

Mr Atkinson, who is simply a fifth-generation household farmer, said: 'There is simply a lottery connected death. I workplace with my member - if 1 of america dies early, past fractional the workplace technically would past get a 20% tax.'

Earlier, successful a vigor interview, Mr Bradshaw accused  Environment Secretary Steve Reed of treating the farming manufacture with 'contempt'.

'The mode he's treated the manufacture with contempt successful what he's been penning has landed very, precise badly,' helium told LBC.  

'There's immense mistrust successful the numbers, adjacent Defra and the Treasury can't hold connected the number.

'Our numbers suggest that 75% of commercialized farms, those farms producing this country's food, are caught successful the oculus of this storm.'

In a abstracted interview, helium told Sky News that farmers volition proceed to propulsion backmost until the Government scraps cultivation inheritance taxation changes.

'This volition transportation on. They cannot person a argumentation successful spot which has specified disastrous quality impacts and deliberation we're going to spell quiet,' helium said. 

'We don't cognize what's next, but I cognize the rank person ne'er been truthful agreed successful trying to overturn thing successful the clip that I've been farming.'

Shadow situation caput Victoria Atkins besides weighed successful contiguous to condemn the Government's 'economically illiterate' attack to tax.

Speaking aft a rally of Tory MPs and farmers connected College Green adjacent Parliament, the shadiness situation caput said: 'I met a Treasury curate and a Defra curate past nighttime due to the fact that I wanted to assistance them recognize wherever they person got their figures incorrect and to alteration their policy. 

'I met them successful bully faith, but during the gathering it became wide that the routes they are looking at, they've counted lone 2 retired of the 3 routes for taxation relief.

'What is much they person not counted - they bash not cognize - however overmuch the landholdings are, the farms are, that they are including successful that fig that they're bandying around.

'So, it means that they are including idiosyncratic who's bought a paddock for their pony - you know, they're not farming, they don't trust connected it, they are, if you like, a hobby farmer. They're saying that that is the aforesaid arsenic immoderate of these farmers who are present contiguous with hundreds of acres of moving farm.'

She added: 'What is truthful worrying is that the Labour Government conscionable aren't listening to this. They're not listening to real-life examples that farmers are providing them with. I've met farmers implicit the past mates of weeks to speech astir this.

'I had 1 illustration wherever a husbandman told maine that his aged begetter ... is genuinely asking whether helium is going to beryllium a load to his household and whether it would beryllium amended for him to walk distant earlier these changes are made successful March 2026 due to the fact that the onshore worth of their workplace is worthy millions, but the income they drew past twelvemonth was worthy £19,000.

'These are conversations that are being had up and down the state connected our farms, and I gave this illustration past nighttime to ministers - they had nary answer. That is wherefore farmers are present today. In anguish, successful distress, and immoderate successful anger, due to the fact that they spot not conscionable their livelihoods contiguous affected by this, but the livelihoods of their children.'

Shadow chancellor Mel Stride, who was besides successful attendance, said the Government had 'broken its promise' successful imposing inheritance taxation connected farms worthy much than £1 million. 

It follows an bonzer involution from tech billionaire Elon Musk, who past nighttime accused Sir Keir medication of 'going afloat Stalin' against British farmers.

The Prime Minister has said that helium understands changes to inheritance taxation are 'causing concern' for farmers but insisted 'the immense bulk of farms' volition not beryllium affected.

Speaking astatine the G20 summit successful Brazil connected Monday, helium said: 'On the question inheritance tax, look I bash recognize that it's causing concern.

'But if you instrumentality a emblematic lawsuit of a mates wanting to walk a household workplace down to 1 of their children, which would beryllium a precise emblematic example, with each of the thresholds successful place, that's £3 cardinal earlier immoderate inheritance taxation is paid.'

'And that's wherefore I'm assured that the immense bulk of farms and farmers volition not beryllium affected astatine each by that facet of the budget.'

The protests travel aft taxation changes announced successful the fund mean from April 2026 farmers volition person wage 20 per cent inheritance taxation connected farms worthy much than £1million - though this rises to £3million if farmers instrumentality vantage of further taxation alleviation measures. 

Although the complaint is fractional the 40 per cent complaint paid by mean members of the public, farmers reason farms volition person to beryllium breached up oregon sold to wage decease duties.

One of the protestation rally's organisers, Clive Bailye (CRCT), laminitis of The Farming Forum website, warned of strikes, blockades and go-slows if ministers neglect to wage attraction to farmers' anger.

'There's a batch of militancy successful the farming assemblage implicit this,' said Mr Bailye, a Staffordshire arable farmer.

'If we don't get thing retired of Tuesday's rally I tin spot things getting atrocious precise fast.

'If the adjacent procreation can't spend to proceed with the farming mode of beingness past they've got thing to lose. That makes them precise unsafe - farmers person got the quality to origin economical chaos.

'We've seen however European farmers person managed to get their governments to alteration policy. Talk of a farmers' onslaught is truly gathering momentum, and you could spot blockades oregon go-slow protests.'

He added: 'If farmers extremity distant their ain milk, they're the ones who mislaid retired the astir - but if they consciousness they're going to spell retired of concern past they whitethorn spell up anyway.

'But we don't privation to origin disruption to the nationalist due to the fact that astatine the infinitesimal they're connected the broadside of farmers.'

He stressed campaigners were not demanding a afloat U-turn, but wanted to conscionable ministers to sermon however to debar the predicted crippling interaction connected family-owned farms.

In effect to calls for Rachel Reeves to conscionable farmers, Downing Street insisted the Treasury had been successful interaction with them astir the inheritance taxation changes.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: 'As I understand, the Treasury has had engagement with the NFU. Meetings are different for the Chancellor and her squad to acceptable out.

'For the PM's part, helium met with the NFU, I think, successful Downing Street successful his aboriginal weeks successful bureau and regularly engages with each sectors.'

Environment Secretary Steve Reed met the NFU's president connected Monday nighttime and volition code the Country Land and Business Association connected Thursday, the spokeswoman added.

Today, Downing Street insisted changes to inheritance taxation are 'balanced and proportionate,' arsenic it urged 'caution' astir 'calculations that are done based connected the worth of assets alone'.

Asked whether farmers protesting successful Westminster had misunderstood the Government's policy, a Number 10 spokeswoman said: 'Farmers are the stewards of our countryside and we bash not underestimate their important publication to the system and besides our agrarian economy. The Prime Minister has spoken astir his idiosyncratic committedness to farmers, evident from the accrued £5 cardinal enactment we've committed implicit 2 years successful the Budget.

'When it comes to the decisions that we've taken, we've not taken these lightly, but the Government inherited a £22 cardinal achromatic spread successful the nationalist finances and we had to instrumentality hard decisions to rebalance the nationalist finances and besides guarantee we're supporting the nationalist services that everyone relies on, farmers and families successful agrarian communities included.

'As to the changes, we support that they are balanced and proportionate, and that lone astir 500 claims a twelvemonth are expected to beryllium affected.'

She said this investigation was based connected accusation from HMRC and 'the existent claims for cultivation spot relief'.

'We would impulse caution astir calculations that are done based connected the worth of assets alone. Other factors lend to inheritance tax. .. that's wherefore our calculations are based connected existent claims that person been made.'

The spokeswoman added: 'We don't underestimate the concerns and the spot of feeling, and we privation to proceed to person a dialog with farmers and pass however this works and perceive to immoderate concerns.'