Jeremy Clarkson bans Sir Keir Starmer from his new pub

TV presenter, who branded Labour a ‘merry bunch of ideological nincompoops’, says he may relent if PM does more for farmers

Jeremy Clarkson has banned Sir Keir Starmer from his new pub, claiming that he is out of touch with the rural community.
The Clarkson’s Farm star said that the Prime Minister had become the first person to be barred from the Cotswolds venue, named The Farmer’s Dog, which opened on Friday.
The pub, on the A40 near Burford, Oxfordshire, is expected to become so popular that the local council has been forced to cut speed limits to cope with the crowds.
But in an interview with Times Radio, Clarkson, who is a vocal critic of the Labour Party, made it clear that Sir Keir will not be welcome.
Asked if he would invite the Prime Minister to the pub, he said: “No, he’s banned. Actually, he’s the first person to be banned. He’s actually on a board in the hall, he’s banned.”
Clarkson, who is also a prominent farming campaigner, was scathing about Labour policies during the election campaign, declaring that he would rather vote for his dog than Sir Keir’s “merry bunch of ideological nincompoops”.
In an article for The Sun before the election, he took particular issue with the party’s position on farming, claiming that its manifesto contained just 87 words on the subject, “which, when translated into English basically say: ‘We hate you, you meat-eating rural halfwits’.”
Labour made a conscious effort to claw back the rural vote from the Conservatives in the months leading up to the election, with Steve Reed, the shadow environment secretary at the time, vowing to “park our tanks on the Tories’ fields”.
He admitted the party had become “too detached” from people in the countryside over the past two decades and pledged to treat them “with respect” in the future.
But Clarkson told Times Radio that the Government did not have a grasp on rural issues because it is too London-centric.
Asked if the new administration understood the rural economy, he said: “No, I don’t think any of them have set foot outside Kentish Town for the last 35 years. They’re a hopeless bunch.”
Sir Keir, whose family home is in Kentish Town, has previously expressed frustration at claims he is part of a North London elite, pointing out that his family sometimes struggled to make ends meet when he was a child.
In his article for The Sun, Clarkson also raised concerns over Sir Keir’s definition of “working people” as those who have a job, rely on public services and do not have meaningful savings.
He wrote: “Now it transpires Starmer himself can’t even define the working class. He thinks it has something to do with people who work. But King Charles works, you idiot.
“Working class is a state of mind. It’s a community spirit. It has nothing to do with whether you work or not.”
He added: “Which is why, come polling day, I’m praying there’s a box on the ballot paper which says: ‘Anyone but Labour.’”
Explaining his decision to bar the Prime Minister from his own pub, Mr Clarkson said he “hasn’t done much to endear himself to me yet”.
But he suggested things could “turn around” if Sir Keir delivers for the farming community.
“We’ll have a look at farming (though). It might turn around, you never know,” he said.