Jeremy Clarkson has accused the government of “ethnically cleansing” the British countryside to make way for “immigrant towns” on farmland.
The 64-year-old wrote in The Sun to criticise the inheritance tax extension proposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Under the plan, inheritance tax thresholds will be extended for two more years until 2030, allowing the first £325,000 of any estate to remain tax-free before being taxed at 40 per cent.
Farmers argue they are bearing the brunt of a system that the mega-wealthy exploit to avoid paying tax.
Will White, a farm sustainability coordinator at Sustain, told The Guardian that investors have been buying up farmland to take advantage of the tax system.
Meanwhile, some farmers who have owned land for generations now face the possibility of their businesses becoming unsustainable due to this tax extension.
“This policy needs to find a way to distinguish between farmers working to provide public goods and nutritious food, and wealthy individuals seeking a tax break,” he said.
Clarkson has expressed his views in much stronger terms.
The former Top Gear presenter, now a farmer himself with his popular Clarkson’s Farm series on Amazon, described Reeves’s plan as an “all-out war on the countryside.” He went on to label it “ethnic cleansing,” a term typically associated with genocide.
He wrote: “I’m becoming more and more convinced that Starmer and Reeves have a sinister plan.
“They want to carpet bomb our farmland with new towns for immigrants and net zero wind farms.
“But before they can do that, they have to ethnically cleanse the countryside of farmers.
“That’s why they had a Budget which makes farming nigh on impossible.”
In relation to a previous story about the inheritance tax, a government spokesperson said: “The government’s commitment to our farmers remains steadfast.
“It’s why we have committed £5bn to the farming budget over two years – more money than ever for sustainable food production.
“We understand concerns about changes to APR but the majority of those claiming relief will not be affected by these changes.
“They will be able to pass the family farm down to their children just as previous generations have always done. This is a fair and balanced approach that protects the family farm while also fixing the public services that we all rely on.”
The Standard has approached HM Treasury for further comment.
