TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson is planning to open another pub - but this time abroad because of the state of the industry.
The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire star, 66, said he felt his famous Diddly Squat farm, where his Farmer's Dog boozer sits, is being "attacked" from every angle.
He cited tax rises, surging energy costs and the Iran war among reasons why he's thinking of setting up a pub in another country instead.
Why not the UK?
Speaking at the Conservative party conference yesterday (MON), Clarkson said: "I am actually looking, as we speak, quite hard into the possibility of opening another pub. It's not going to be in the UK. Why would anybody set up a business in this country right now?"
The star of Clarkson's Farm on Amazon Prime decried the conditions faced by business owners.
He said problems had been caused by international conflict and referenced the family farms tax policy by the Labour Government.
A 'terrible' year for farming
He said it had been a "terrible" year for farming due to the hot weather.
Clarkson said: "It's terrible, is the only way of describing it. We worked really hard all year and we ended up with, I think I'm right in saying, three ounces of hen food. It was an absolute disaster on the farming side but, I mean, luckily we've got other projects going on now. But the farming is very, very difficult - very, very difficult at the moment."
He added: "I'm very fortunate that I do have other income streams and newspaper columns, but if you're an ordinary farmer, it's not just the weather. Remember the attacks come from everywhere - whether it's Iran or Ukraine or taxes or energy costs - whatever it might be, it's just relentless."
Political ties and farm tax campaign
Clarkson has long been associated with the Conservative Party. He was close to former prime minister Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, as they live near each other in the Cotswolds.
He was also heavily involved in the campaign to stop the Labour Government's tax on farms.
Former chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the Government would levy inheritance tax on family farms in the party's first budget. However, plans for the tax were watered down in December last year following a vocal campaign by farmers and internal pressure from some of Labour's rural MPs, many of whom were elected for the first time in 2024.
