Clarkson issues brutal one-word verdict as Trump makes Starmer look 'out of his depth'

Jeremy Clarkson shared a blunt response to a video of Donald Trump discussing the inheritance tax placed on farmers' land, as the US president sat down with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland last month. The farmer-turned-TV host's fiery post came as a clip resurfaced online of Trump discussing how he had slashed the inheritance tax for American farmers during his time in the White House.

The video showed the US leader boasting about how he "looked after" family-run farms by cutting death duties. By contrast, Starmer appeared hesitant, with critics saying the Labour leader looked "out of his depth" as Trump reeled off his pro-farmer credentials. Asked about the importance of farmers to a country, especially in the context of IHT treatment, Mr Trump said he loved farmers, but they were often "land rich and cash poor". "So in our tax bill, we have a clause that is very important," he said.

"We were losing a lot of farms to the banks because a loving mother and father would die and left their farm to their children. But they had a 50% tax to pay. They would then go out and borrow money to pay the estate tax - or the death tax as it's called - and they would overextend and they would lose the farm," Trump added that many farmers in the US had taken their own lives because of the estate tax.

The Grand Tour star was sent a clip on the social media site X by a user who shared a report by Centax, stating that IHT rules had found inheritance tax to have "no impact on farmers." Not one to hold back his thoughts, Clarkson, who runs Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds, wasn't having any of it. His reply? Just one word: "Bulls**t."

Meanwhile, Starmer was quick to defend the UK government's position, saying the UK Treasury's 20% IHT proposal was very different.

"We've just introduced [a system] where it is paid over many years and works out at an extra 2% a year over 10 years. The other thing we've done, as you know, is make sure we have a pathway for farmers which increases their year-on-year income, which is the most important thing." Starmer added that farmers were a prime consideration in the Government's trade deals - such as the UK-US trade deal - to ensure their incomes were protected.

However, in the comments, users slammed Starmer, as they said the PM was "out of his depth". One wrote: "Big fan of Trump and, while he might not always be the greatest orator, he absolutely nails this answer. Starmer looks like a lost child - woefully out of his depth on the world stage."

A second remarked, "Look at him squirming like the international doormat he is. This is priceless." And another commented: "Oh boy, does that put the cat among the pigeons in England. A nation of farmers beggared by estate taxes."