Jeremy Clarkson snaps at BBC's Victoria Derbyshire in tense row at farmers' rally

Jeremy Clarkson had a heated confrontation with BBC journalist Victoria Derbyshire at the farmers' rally in Westminster yesterday (Tuesday). The Clarkson's Farm star, 64, was there to protest against the Government's £1m inheritance tax on farms, alongside his younger Amazon Prime co-star, Kaleb Cooper, 26.

Amidst a backdrop of tractors and discontented farmers, Clarkson stood shoulder to shoulder with his agricultural allies, who have become a significant part of his life through his popular show set at Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds. However, the atmosphere turned tense when Derbyshire questioned if Clarkson's attendance was self-promotional.

It prompted him to retort: "Typical BBC. You people!"

The friction escalated after Derbyshire probed the ex-Top Gear host about his reasons for joining the protest, reports the Mirror.

She queried: "So it's not about you, your farm and to avoid inheritance attack?", to which Clarkson responded with an eye roll and a sarcastic jab: "Classic BBC there. Classic."

Unfazed, Derbyshire continued: "Is it?".

She referenced a Sunday Times article where Clarkson talked about the tax benefits of farm ownership. Clarkson then denied that his acquisition of the Cotswolds farm was driven by tax reasons, instead emphasizing his authentic interest in rural activities such as shooting.

Amid the heated exchange, Clarkson didn't hold back his criticism, saying, "Typical BBC. You people".

He then turned to the gathered crowd, asking them, "Are you listening to this?", as he referred to Labour MP Rachel Reeves' suggestion that inheritance tax could benefit public services.

During an impassioned outburst, recorded by BBC's Newsnight, Clarkson declared: "Let's start from the beginning. I wanted to shoot, which comes with the benefit of not paying inheritance tax. Now I do.

"People like me will simply put it in a trust, and so long as I live for seven years, that's fine. As my daughter says, you might be in a deep freeze at the end of it, but you will live for seven years.

"But it is incredibly time-consuming to have to do that, why should all these people have to do that, why should they?"

Earlier in the day, the former Top Gear presenter admitted disregarding his doctor’s recommendation by choosing to attend the rally. Clarkson brushed off warnings against stressful events following his emergency heart operation just a month ago, determined to express his views at Westminster.

Farmers are taking to the streets in protest, demanding that the Government reconsider its alterations to agricultural inheritance tax. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) is orchestrating a large-scale lobby of MPs, with 1,800 members – triple the original estimate – urging backbenchers to oppose the Government's plans to levy inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1 million.

Additionally, thousands more are anticipated to participate in a separate rally in Whitehall, protesting against last month's Budget, which also hastened the phase-out of EU-era subsidies as funding is redirected towards eco-friendly farming schemes. The changes to inheritance tax for farming businesses, which restrict the existing 100% relief for farms to only the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property, have been met with outrage from farmers.

For any value exceeding that, landowners will be subject to a 20% tax rate, rather than the standard 40% rate of inheritance tax (IHT) applied to other land and property.