Jeremy Clarkson bans over 400 Labour MPs from his Cotswolds pub The Farmer’s Dog over rising business rates

Jeremy Clarkson, the outspoken star of Clarkson’s Farm, has made headlines again—this time with a sweeping political move.

The 65-year-old broadcaster has barred over 400 Labour MPs from entering his Cotswolds pub, The Farmer’s Dog.

The move comes as part of a protest against the government’s recent Budget, which Clarkson argues has hit the hospitality sector with a “tax grab.”

The ban isn’t new for Clarkson—he was ahead of the curve, having personally prohibited Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer from stepping foot in his £1 million boozer near Burford, Oxfordshire, when it first opened last year.

Now, he’s extending that ban to the entirety of Starmer’s party.

Rising Costs Spark Outrage

Clarkson’s objection is rooted in skyrocketing business rates.

He revealed that his annual property taxes have surged from around £28,000 to more than £50,000.

“It is a disgrace,” he told The Sun.

Clarkson’s protest reflects a wider movement: roughly 50 pubs nationwide have already placed “No Labour MPs” signs in their windows to express frustration over rising costs.

For many, these increases make a mockery of government claims to be supporting the hospitality industry.

Pub Owners Warn of Industry Shifts

It’s not just Clarkson speaking out. James Fowler, owner of the Larder House in Bournemouth, says pubs are “absolutely being taxed out.”

He explained that banning politicians is a direct way to signal that businesses feel ignored by policymakers.

Despite ongoing discussions between hospitality representatives and government ministers, Fowler argues that Labour isn’t listening, necessitating “more extreme measures” to protect the industry.

Bigger Chains Join the Chorus

Even major pub chains are voicing concerns.

Greene King CEO Nick Mackenzie, who oversees 2,600 pubs, warned in an opinion piece that Labour has “let down” the sector.

Mackenzie emphasized that pubs have weathered wars, recessions, and a global pandemic, yet they are now threatened by the “constant layering of costs”—from wages and food inflation to recycling requirements, topped by rising business rates.

Business Rates Controversy

The longstanding frustration around business rates has been a thorn in the side of pubs and retail outlets for years.

Many small business owners had pinned their hopes on Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ promise of “permanently lower tax rates for over 750,000 retail, hospitality, and leisure properties” and the “lowest tax rates since 1991.”

However, the reality has fallen short.

Details emerging after the Budget revealed that many small venues, including pubs, bars, and cafes, would see their rates climb instead of fall.

UK Hospitality reports that this will amount to an increase of £318 million across the sector over the next three years.

The Message Is Clear

Clarkson’s bold ban and the wider backlash highlight the mounting frustration within the hospitality industry.

From small pubs to large chains, operators feel squeezed by rising costs and feel unheard by politicians.

As business rates continue to climb and the sector grapples with inflation and wage pressures, it seems the battle lines between pubs and the government are only becoming more entrenched.

For Clarkson, and many others in hospitality, the message couldn’t be clearer: Labour MPs are not welcome until meaningful relief arrives.

What Happ

ens Next

With growing discontent and more pubs joining the protest, the government faces increasing pressure to revisit its policies.

Whether the bans, public outrage, and warnings from industry leaders will prompt change remains to be seen—but the hospitality sector’s frustration is unmistakable.