Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has hit back at complaints after he sparked outrage by declaring he would rather have Russian President Vladimir Putin lead Britain than current Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The 64-year-old made the inflammatory remarks in his latest Sunday Times column, where he launched a scathing attack on Starmer’s leadership.
Clarkson, who runs Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire, said he would “do nothing to stop an invasion” and would welcome alternative leadership “with open arms”.
The controversial broadcaster has been a vocal critic of Starmer’s government since Labour took power last July, particularly regarding their agricultural policies.
His latest comments represent his most extreme criticism of the Prime Minister to date, comparing him unfavourably to several controversial world leaders.
In his column, Clarkson stated: “Right now, I’d do nothing to stop an invasion because, apart from that DRC child slavery enthusiast, Bosco Ntaganda, I’d take any world leader over the imbecile we have now.”
Jeremy Clarkson has actively protested against Starmer’s government policy
PA
The former Grand Tour host specifically named Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, and Vladimir Putin as preferable alternatives to Starmer.
Clarkson drew the line only at Bosco Ntaganda, the former Congolese rebel leader who is currently serving 30 years in jail for crimes against humanity.
“Trump, Meloni, even Putin: I’d welcome any one of them with open arms,” Clarkson wrote.
Clarkson’s comments came in response to a Times/YouGov survey which revealed less than half of people aged 18 to 27 are proud to be British as well as revealing 41 percent of Gen Z would not fight to protect Britain’s way of life.
Exactly. You use a tiny bit of hyperbole and everyone runs round like an asteroid’s coming.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) February 17, 2025
“Actually, I’m with them on this one. I wouldn’t either,” Clarkson wrote in agreement with the younger generation’s stance.
After publishing the column, Clarkson came under fire from critics who took issue with his inflammatory language towards the Labour leader.
But now Clarkson has hit back, replying to disgruntled social media users who suggested he “admired” and “supported” the Russian leader.
Hitting back at one upset X user, in particular, Clarkson clarified his comments, using Javier Milei as an alternative example: “It was hyperbole. I could change it if you like to say I’d prefer that man with mad hair in Argentina. That better?”
Clarkson doubled down on that stance in another tweet that read: “If I said I’d rather cut my head off than go to a gym, would you take that literally? So why, when I say I’d rather have anyone than Starmer, even Putin, do you think I’m being serious? Putin’s a dangerous a**e. Starmer is just thick. I’d rather have my dog in number 10 than either of them.” (sic)
When one fan weighed in to back the Clarkson’s Farm star, he replied: “Exactly. You use a tiny bit of hyperbole and everyone runs round like an asteroid’s coming.”
Clarkson’s latest attack follows months of criticism aimed at Starmer’s leadership and policies.
The TV presenter has banned Starmer from his recently opened pub, The Farmer’s Dog, near Burford.
Clarkson claims his quotes preferring Putin to Starmer as a leader was “hyperbole”
REUTERS
“He’s banned. Actually, he’s the first person to be banned. He’s actually on a board in the hall,” Clarkson told Times Radio.
His opposition stems largely from Labour’s stance on farming, particularly their plans to end inheritance tax exemptions for farmers.
Last October, Clarkson addressed a London rally protesting these tax changes, calling them “terribly cruel” and affecting “some of the hardest working, most underpaid and under-appreciated people in the land.”
He has repeatedly branded Starmer an “imbecile” and called it “soul destroying having him in power.”
The broadcaster has also criticised Starmer’s proposed smoking ban, arguing for common sense over blanket restrictions.
