Fuming Jeremy Clarkson savages Labour’s punitive tax hikes in surprise appearance at Tory conference

Comment now Next JEREMY Clarkson today blasted Labour for making Britain a nightmare for business after making a surprise appearance at Tory conference. The telly legend and Sun columnist asked why “anybody” would bother setting up a firm here after his Farmer’s Dog pub was clobbered by a £146,000 National Insurance hike . 6 Jeremy Clarkson has blasted Labour’s business tax hikes during a surprise appearance at the Tory conference, revealing his Farmer’s Dog pub was hit with a £146K National Insurance rise Credit: Getty 6 Surprise visit . . . Charlie Ireland and Jeremy, of Clarkson’s Farm, with Shadow Environment Secretary Victoria Atkins Credit: Getty Advertisement He even revealed he was dreaming of opening his next boozer abroad to escape punitive taxes. The Clarkson’s Farm star told Tory activists in Birmingham: “Why would anybody set up a business in this country right now?” Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. Clarkson opened his pub in Oxfordshire two years ago but said soaring costs had made running it increasingly painful. But he added: “I’ll see if I can do it abroad somewhere. I probably won’t, but I’m dreaming of it.” READ MORE ON POLITICS 'LEAVE US ALONE!' Jeremy Clarkson asks 'why would anyone start a business in Britain?' VISA PLEA Mahmood says foreign worker visas are being requested each week to plug shortages 6 Clarkson also renewed his war with Labour over its inheritance tax shake-up for family farms Credit: PA 6 TV presenter Clarkson and shadow minister Atkins attend day two of the Conservative Party Conference Credit: Getty The petrolhead then took a swipe at Labour’s controversial plans to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at a former military site near Piddington, Oxfordshire . Clarkson joked: “I might have to go to Piddington, that’s abroad, isn’t it?” Advertisement The gag was a reference to furious villagers voting to “leave” the United Kingdom in a symbolic referendum last month over the asylum plans. But Clarkson’s biggest beef was the soaring cost of keeping his pub and farm going. Most read in The Sun THE SUN SAYS Sudden US bomber withdrawal from RAF Fairford should alarm every Brit citizen IRON DOME LADY Britain will build Iron Dome to shoot down enemy missiles says Kemi Badenoch KEMI BADENOCH No wonder US is pulling bombers from UK – Burnham won’t prioritise defence FAIRFORD TWIST RAF Fairford gang may have been 'DECOY' ahead of bigger Iran-backed attack 6 Labour announced in its first Budget that it would end unlimited 100 per cent inheritance tax relief on agricultural and business property. Credit: PA 6 The petrolhead also took a swipe at Labour’s controversial plans to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at a former military site near Piddington, Oxfordshire Credit: PA He said costs at The Farmer’s Dog were rising at an “almost unbelievable rate”. Advertisement He revealed: “The National Insurance has gone up by £146,000. “Just when you get it to profitability, along they come and say right your National Insurance has gone up by £140,000. “Our fuel bill has gone up by £30,000 since the Iran business.” Clarkson also renewed his war with Labour over its inheritance tax shake-up for family farms. The former Top Gear host argued ministers simply did not understand how farming worked and warned families could be forced to carve up holdings that have been passed down for generations. Advertisement He said: “With a farm it’s completely different because you’d have to sell a bit of it, making it even less profitable, or you’d sell the whole lot. “And the person moving it doesn’t necessarily know how to farm. “I mean, look at me…” He continued: “It makes perfect sense for the way the countryside looks and our food supply system for farmers to pass it on to the only people who know how to do it, which is your kids.” Labour announced in its first Budget that it would end unlimited 100 per cent inheritance tax relief on agricultural and business property. Advertisement The policy sparked months of furious demonstrations, with tractors repeatedly descending on Westminster . Clarkson himself joined thousands of farmers protesting in London and urged ministers to back down. Labour eventually partially U-turned last December , more than doubling the full-relief allowance from £1million to £2.5million. But Clarkson made clear that he still believed the tax was wrong and that it was just one of a barrage of problems hitting farmers. He demanded a bonfire of countryside red tape, arguing farmers did not need officials telling them how to protect their own land. Advertisement Clarkson also called for the return of old-fashioned market days, with pubs , cafés and restaurants allowed to spill out on to pavements and turn town centres into weekly events. Asked by shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins how they could help Britain’s struggling pubs, he said: “Make it an event that you want to go into the town centre for once a week.” Day two of Tory conference also saw shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie vowing to force new nuclear power stations on Scotland if his party returns to government. He declared that “no part of Britain will be off limits” and told the ruling SNP: “Bring it on”. Mr Bowie accused the Scottish Government of using its devolved powers to block nuclear investment. Advertisement And warned that a Conservative government would legislate to get new reactors built north of the border. In his conference speech, he said: “We will need a third large-scale reactor, we will build that reactor and no part of Britain will be off limits, including Scotland. “We will legislate to get it done – no more Mr Nice Guy, no more devolve and forget. He said he was “fed up” with the SNP “playing games” and added: “If the nationalists want to stop us from delivering thousands of jobs , economic growth and energy security for Britain, I have one thing to say – bring it on.” He also tore into Andy Burnham’s Government, claiming they were dithering over the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields in the North Sea because they fear losing votes to the Greens. Advertisement Meanwhile, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately insisted anxiety or ADHD should not be a reason for young people “not to work”. She pledged to crack down on people claiming benefits for mental health issues or neurodiversity. She said: “A lot of young people are now coming forward and claiming benefits for mental health challenges, particularly Anxiety, also on the neurodiversity side for ADHD. “So, we’ve had this big, big change of young people coming forward and saying, actually, my problem is a health problem. RECOMMENDED STORIES “We’re not denying all the challenges that young people, particularly the Covid generation, face with, for instance, struggling with mental health or indeed neurodiversity. Advertisement “But what we’re going to be saying is that’s not a reason not to work, and we are going to make reforms to our welfare system to make sure that you are better off in work than on welfare.” Comment now