Jeremy Clarkson has issues an "important" warning to fans after a misleading social media account began sharing a petition in his name. The 65-year-old broadcaster was forced to intervene on X, formerly Twitter, when a profile calling itself Clarksons Farm began posting about the Government’s reported plans to introduce digital ID cards. The petition being promoted by the account reads: “Do not introduce Digital ID cards. We demand that the UK Government immediately commits to not introducing a digital ID cards.
“We think this would be a step towards mass surveillance and digital control, and that no one should be forced to register with a state-controlled ID system. We oppose the creation of any national ID system.” The fan profile, which carries a blue verification tick, shared a screenshot of the petition and added: “Almost 2.4 million already, wow,” alongside a link.
Its bio makes clear it is a “fan account not representative of Clarkson’s Farm! Working tirelessly to back British farming and make you smile!” — but that wasn’t enough to stop Clarkson setting the record straight.
The former Top Gear host wrote: “It is important to remember that this account has nothing to do with me.”
Clarkson has never shied away from wading into political debates, and he also aimed a barb at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over recent reports he avoided an inheritance tax bill.
Starmer, 62, was accused of putting a seven-acre field he bought behind his parents’ Surrey home into a trust, which could have reduced their estate’s liability.
The land was purchased in 1996 for £20,000 and used as a donkey sanctuary for his mother, who was seriously ill.
The Prime Minister denied the tax-avoidance claim, telling the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “I bought a field for my mum and my dad because they loved donkeys.
"My mum was very ill and she couldn’t move around anymore. She, by the end of her life, had her leg amputated and she could barely communicate. She was very, very ill. She loved her donkeys and I wanted her to be able to see her donkeys.”
Clarkson couldn’t resist a swipe, posting: “I wonder if Starmer got planning permission for the donkey shelter he built?”
Starmer has since confirmed he sold the field in 2022 along with an adjacent strip of land for more than ten times its original price.
His tax returns for 2022/23 show the sale, and experts noted the estate never came close to hitting the £1million threshold that would have triggered inheritance tax.
