Labour accuse Jeremy Clarkson of being ‘impolite’ and ‘aggressive’ as BBC Newsnight descends into chaos whereas friends conflict over farmer protest and Top Gear star

A row broke out on BBC‘s Newsnight over Jeremy Clarkson’s appearance at the farmers’ ‘tractor tax’ protest in London after his angry interview with presenter Victoria Derbyshire.

Former Labour minister Jim Murphy condemned former Top Gear host Clarkson as ‘rude’ and ‘aggressive’ – but ex-Conservative party chairman Sir Jake Berry hit back, defending him.

They clashed on last night’s BBC2 show which was presented by Derbyshire just hours after she had questioned Clarkson at the demonstration in central London.

Thousands of farmers and their supporters had descended on the capital for a mass protest against Chancellor Rachel Reeves‘ Budget plan to limit the existing 100 per cent inheritance tax relief on farms to only the first £1million.

Clarkson was among those taking part in the protest and challenged the Government to ‘back down’ over what he called its ‘cocked up’ inheritance tax raid.

The 64-year-old, who is recovering from a life-saving heart operation, attended the event alongside his Clarkson’s Farm co-stars Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland, theatre legend Andrew Lloyd-Webber and dozens of MPs including new Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.

The Metropolitan Police estimated 13,000 people attended the protest in central London, which called on the Government to scrap those changes announced in the Chancellor’s Budget last month.

Ms Reeves says the measures will only affect the wealthiest 500 estates each year but experts from the NFU say it will be up to 70,000 farms.

Clarkson became exasperated with Derbyshire when interviewed in Whitehall on Tuesday afternoon, accusing her of failing to be impartial and saying: ‘Classic BBC – you people.’

Footage of their exchange was shown at the start of last night’s Newsnight broadcast and Derbyshire began her exchanges with her studio guests by asking Mr Murphy: ‘What did you make of Mr Clarkson, what he had to say?’

Mr Murphy, a former leader of the Scottish Labour Party, replied: ‘I know I’m in a minority, but I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him on television – I don’t watch cooking or motor car programmes. I hear a rumour he does at least one of those.

‘He does a farming programme, he’s a farmer now? Okay. Look, I think the farmers are pretty ill served by him being one of their spokespeople.’

When asked ‘Why?’, Mr Murphy responded by saying: ‘I think he’s rude, I think he’s aggressive, I think from what I read he invested in a farm for inheritance tax reasons.

‘I think it’s a disservice to the hardworking hundreds and thousands of farmers in the country.’

But fellow Newsnight guest Sir Jake, who was a Conservative MP from 2010 until losing his seat at the general election in July this year, came to Clarkson’s defence.

Sir Jake, who also attended Tuesday’s protest, told Mr Murphy: ‘I was talking to farmers and I think you’re wrong actually.

‘I think Jeremy Clarkson is warmly regarded by the farming community because, whether you like what he stands for or what he says, he draws public attention to the plight of farmers.

‘If you look for example at cereal farmers, they’ve had a 73 per cent drop in their income because of the adverse weather we’ve had, so it is a sector under massive pressure.

‘When I was there, what people were asking me, what people were really concerned about is that it doesn’t feel the Labour party has got a real grip on the number of people who are going to be affected by this – it feels like a bit of a stab in the dark.’

Under Labour’s plans, full inheritance tax relief will be restricted to the first £1million of combined agricultural and business property relief, above which landowners will pay a rate of 20 per cent, compared with 40 per cent on other estates.

The measure comes into effect in April 2026 and can be paid in instalments over 10 years interest free, the Government has said.

It comes on top of other exemptions, so that two people with farmland could pass on up to £3million without anything being paid, depending on their circumstances.

Clarkson’s argument with Derbyshire began when she questioned whether he was there for himself rather than British farmers, asking him: ‘So it’s not about you, your farm and to avoid inheritance attack?’.

He immediately rolled his eyes and said: ‘Classic BBC there. Classic.’

Derbyshire shot back, ‘Is it?’, referring to an article in the Sunday Times where he wrote about the tax benefits of buying a farm.

He replied, ‘Typical BBC – you people’, before disputing her claim that it was a ‘fact’ that he bought his Oxfordshire farm for tax purposes and explaining it was because he loved country sports such as shooting.

The broadcaster turned farmer, 64, who defied doctors’ orders to be in London after a heart attack, accused the Newsnight host of giving her own ‘opinion’ away – and joked that she had formed her views at the same ‘sixth form debating society’ as Ms Reeves.

Clarkson, who worked for the BBC as Top Gear host for more than 20 years, then burst out laughing when Derbyshire told him: ‘I am not expressing opinions, I am literally asking you questions.’

Meanwhile, the Environment Secretary has insisted many farmers protesting over changes to inheritance tax are ‘wrong’ about the policy.

Steve Reed rejected claims that the Government has underestimated how many will be affected by plans to limit 100 per cent property relief to the first £1million of agricultural assets.

Ministers say the vast majority of farms will not be hit by the changes, but many in the sector have said they will be forced to sell off land to meet the costs.

Appearing before MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee on Tuesday, Mr Reed was pressed on the backlash.

Chairman Alistair Carmichael said there were ‘a lot more than 500 (farmers) here saying they’re going to be affected’, and asked whether they were wrong.

Mr Reed replied: ‘Well, assuming these projections from HMRC, validated by the OBR and IFS, are correct then many of them, probably happily, are wrong because there are things that they can do to plan their tax affairs as most businesses or asset owners would do to limit their liability.

‘The numbers I’ve heard bandied around are enormous and very, very frightening if people were to believe them.’

He acknowledged the changes would be ‘unsettling’ and said he was ‘listening’ to concerns, but that most farmers would not face a hike.

But figures cited by critics are based on Government data on the value of farms ‘and then people have drawn a straight line to an inheritance tax liability, but you can’t do that, because ownership is much more complex than one person, one farm,’ he said.

Ministers have argued the revenue is needed to help fix public services and plug a £22billion fiscal ‘black hole’ left behind by their Tory predecessors which they say only became apparent after they entered government.

Speaking to Sky News’ Politics Hub later on Tuesday, Mr Reed criticised Jeremy Clarkson after the TV presenter suggested the changes would affect 96 per cent of farmers.

‘I love Jeremy Clarkson’s show, but I think he’s listening to the wrong data here,’ the minister said.