Jeremy Clarkson would be “welcome” in the Tory party said a senior Conservative amid the television star’s recent MP announcement.
The 65-year-old former Top Gear host has become a well established spokesperson for the farming industry in recent years through his Prime Video series, Clarkson’s Farm.
Filmed at his farm, Diddly Squat, in Chadlington, the series follows the trials and tribulations of being a farmer in Britain.
His agricultural antics and backing of the farming industry have seen Mr Clarkson battle the Labour government on several issues, with the star often speaking out publicly via his columns or social media.
A few days ago Mr Clarkson teased what some fans have long wished for him: a potential career in politics.
Taking to social media site X on Sunday evening (October 12), he said: “People of Doncaster North. Are you happy with your MP?
“Would you like it if someone from your neck of the woods kicked him out?”
The head of Oxfordshire’s Conservatives – who is based in the west of the county like Mr Clarkson – jokingly replied offering himself as a campaign manager.
Now, he has elaborated on that to say that the high-profile farmer would be welcome in the Conservative party.
Liam Walker said: “Jeremy Clarkson has done a huge amount to highlight the challenges our local farmers face and to promote the importance of British agriculture which is something I know many of us here in Oxfordshire really value.
“While not everyone will always agree with everything he says, I think his passion for rural life and his willingness to speak up for our farming communities is something we can all appreciate.”
Mr Clarkson’s political activism included joining the protests against the Labour government’s agricultural inheritance tax changes in November 2024.
This is something the Conservative party has also campaigned against.
At the rally almost a year ago, he said: “For the sake of everybody here, and for all the farmers stuck at home paralysed by a fog of despair over what’s been foisted on them, I beg of the Government to be big and accept this was rushed through, it wasn’t thought out and it was a mistake.”
Summing up, Mr Walker said that Mr Clarkson would “certainly be welcome” to join the Tory party.
He said: “As Conservatives, we want to see a thriving countryside with fair support for farmers and policies that reward hard work and protect the next generation’s ability to stay on the land.
“So yes, anyone who shares that vision, including Mr Clarkson, would certainly be welcome to join our party and help champion these causes.”
