Jeremy Clarkson fumes Starmer 'still destroying countryside' as he breaks silence on farming tax U-turn: 'The fight goes on!'

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds confirmed the policy shift following sustained pressure from the agricultural sector.

"We have listened closely to farmers across the country, and we are making changes today to protect more ordinary family farms," Ms Reynolds said.

The revised threshold represents a substantial concession after ministers initially planned to impose a 20 percent levy on inherited agricultural assets exceeding £1m from April 2026.

Under the amended proposals, married couples and civil partners will be able to transfer up to £5m in qualifying agricultural or business assets without incurring inheritance tax, in addition to existing allowances.

Treasury officials indicated the change would halve the number of estates claiming Agricultural Property Relief that face higher bills under the reforms.

The adjustment means only the largest farming operations will be subject to the new levy, and the concession reduces projected revenue from £430m to £300m.

Speaking on the matter for the first time in his latest newspaper column, Top Gear star-turned-farmer Mr Clarkson has had his say on the changes, having spent over a year vocally opposing the initial measures.

"So, the Government has finally admitted that the family farm tax was muddled-headed nonsense and raised the threshold when the tax becomes payable from £1million to £2.5million," he began in The Sun.

"This has been described as a big win for farmers, and it is. But let’s not forget that half of all farms in the UK will still be hit.

"They will still have to be sold when the farmer dies, and who will buy them? Not another farmer, that’s for sure. It’ll be City types and hedge-funders. Who won’t know how to do farming."

Explaining further his dire prediction, the Grand Tour star went on: "Farming’s hard, and unless you start at the age of three, you won’t be able to do it very well. I know this from personal experience.

"So the new higher tax threshold will still destroy the countryside. It’ll affect the country’s ability to feed itself.

"And there are still thousands of farmers out there who are having to deal with the stress of knowing that they cannot pass their farm on to the only people who know how to run it. Their children."

Mr Clarkson then questioned the financial benefit of the tax anyway. "The big question is, why have the tax at all?" he pondered.

"The original plan would only have raised £500million a year. Now, it will only raise £300million, which isn’t even enough to fund the NHS for an afternoon. A battle, then, has been won. But the fight goes on."

Mr Clarkson isn't the only one to question the U-turn, with the Conservatives accusing ministers of attempting to dodge scrutiny by releasing the announcement just two days before Christmas.

Shadow Environment Secretary Victoria Atkins said the timing "seems very odd" and criticised the government for what she described as trying to "slip this under the radar once everybody else is distracted with Christmas preparation."

"This being snuck out the day before Christmas Eve means that, of course, we haven't had a chance to scrutinise this properly in parliament," Ms Atkins told Sky News.

She also questioned why Ms Reynolds, rather than the Chancellor, had announced the policy change, noting the Environment Secretary had only provided a brief press clip without conducting a full media round.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw described the government's decision as a "huge relief to many" following months of uncertainty for the farming community.

The policy reversal came after sustained demonstrations by farmers in Westminster and growing unease among Labour MPs representing rural constituencies about the impact on their voters.

Reports suggested dozens of Labour backbenchers were preparing to rebel against the government by supporting an amendment to the Finance Bill when it returns to parliament next month.