Jeremy Clarkson said it is not a great time to be English, citing England's defeats in cricket and rugby, trouble in the Royal Family, and a 'completely useless' government. He said he hates Sir Keir Starmer and that Starmer is banned from his pub, accusing the prime minister of being flippant about farmers and claiming Starmer told Trump the UK has not really taxed farmers, which Clarkson disputes.
Clarkson announced his farm shop will close from March 16 to March 24 for changes, with a temporary shop set up in the lambing barn. He said many farmers are in a 'soul-destroying' position due to the Labour government, and that his own farm finances were 'at a loss' last year, though he acknowledged being fortunate to have other income streams from his showbiz career.
It's not a great time to be English.
Clarkson described farming as in an 'absolutely parlous state' and called the budget an 'act of cruelty'. He said Chancellor Rachel Reeves' policies make it difficult to climb the economic ladder. Separately, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said rising tax pressures risk damaging Britain's economic prospects and discourage entrepreneurs.
We were annihilated by the Australians at cricket, we were destroyed by the Scottish and the Irish at rugby, our Royal Family is in serious trouble, and we have a completely useless government, but we do have Hawkstone.
UPDATE - We'll be making a few changes to the shop over the next week, so our usual farms how will be closed from Monday 16th to Tuesday 24th March. We know some of you may already have plans to visit, so we'll have a temporary shop set up in the lambing barn (just around the back of the usual shop) during that time. It won't quite be the full Diddly experience, but you'll still be able to pick up a few bits while you're here. If you're planning a trip and want the shop as you know it, we'd recommend visiting from the 25th March onwards.
I'm in an extremely fortunate position with other income streams. I can't even begin to imagine how awful it must be for farmers who don't host Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, which is most farmers. It must be jusy be utterly soul-destroying. Absolutely soul-destroying. I mean, it hurts you enough when you lose money, which we managed to do last year because you think 'Christ, we put a lot of work into that' and then you still lose money.
Oh God yes. I hate very few people in life, but I do hate that man; he's awful. He's definitely banned. He's just so flippant about farmers whenever you ask him. He's like, 'Who cares about them?' And that is one of the things I really dislike. And then I heard him with Trump trying to argue, 'Well, we haven't really taxed them...' Well, you have.
Farming is in an absolutely parlous state. It was before the budget. These poor guys and girls are sitting on their tractors on their own, earning no money; it's freezing cold, and it's dangerous. Then to be given this budget when they're that far down is an act of cruelty. I cannot understand how mean-spirited the exchequer must be to have delivered it.
In the UK, it's difficult to get on the bottom rung of the ladder and impossible to climb up it, because Reeves doesn't believe in that sort of thing; not at her core. It revolts her.
Current policies are discouraging entrepreneurs.