Jeremy Clarkson has launched a tirade against young benefit claimants, taking aim at more than a million young people who he claims have no intention of seeking employment.
The 66-year-old Clarkson’s Farm presenter accused these youngsters of spending their days “sitting at home gormlessly watching short-form nonsense” on oversized televisions rather than contributing to society.
He pointed out that those with ADHD or similar conditions can receive up to £194 per week from the state – roughly £100 more than they would earn through part-time work at a local shop on minimum wage.
Mr Clarkson’s blistering assessment came in his latest newspaper column in which he drew a parallel between benefit recipients and his three dogs.
Jeremy Clarkson has slammed young people claiming benefits
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PAThe former Top Gear host said that despite the expense and effort of caring for his pet pooches, his pets at least repay him with boundless gratitude – something he argued taxpayers never receive from claimants.
After observing this in his dogs, Mr Clarkson proposed that each week, when benefits are disbursed, claimants should be provided with the email address of a randomly chosen working person and required to send them a heartfelt expression of thanks.
He suggested it’s either this or they face having their payments cut off.
“And I’m not talking about a cursory ‘thanks mate’. I want fulsomeness. I want to hear what they’ve done with the £194 I gave them that week,” he wrote in The Sunday Times.
Jeremy Clarkson suggested youngsters should write to working people with thank you letters
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GETTYIn his own mock thank you later, he sarcastically remarked: “It is SO kind of you to go to work every day so that I don’t have to. Thanks to you, I was able to buy an even bigger television this week.”
The scheme, he argued, would satisfy Labour’s left wing because payments would continue flowing, while giving taxpayers at least some acknowledgement in return.
In usual fashion, Mr Clarkson also couldn’t resist a dig at former Chancellor Rachel Reeves over her benefits pledges in the budget.
With Labour now signalling further spending on social care, Mr Clarkson warned that yet more “multibillion-pound tax rises are on the horizon.”
Andy Burnham has warned there may be tough decisions ahead
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GETTYConcluding his tirade, Mr Clarkson suggested that once young people grew tired of writing thank-you letters, they may realise “that they don’t have a head-based neurodivergence issue after all and that they’d rather get a job.”
Inevitably, Mr Clarkson’s comments have drawn a rather mixed response from his fans and critics alike.
On X, one fan argued: “I like Jeremy, but he’s out of touch sometimes. I have no issue with my tax money going to those genuinely unwell and in need. We call it National Insurance, and it should work as such.
“Of course there’s those claiming they don’t need to – but the saying ‘health is a crown only the sick can see’ is very true.” (sic)
Chancellor Rachel Reeves once again fell into Clarkson’s firing line
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GETTYA second, meanwhile, backed the Clarkson’s Farm star’s stance: “If you’re on benefits and able bodied, there is NOTHING stopping you doing work within the community within the hours of which you’re children are at school… caring for the elderly, cleaning up the streets, food banks etc.. if you don’t do it you lose benefits.”
However, a third X user slammed the 66-year-old broadcaster: “Jeremy Clarkson is worth around $55 million USD, yet he wants social security recipients grovelling at his feet? Selfishness is a choice, so is behaving like a p***k.”
And a fourth weighed into the debate: “Haha, absolute genius from Clarkson. Mandatory gratitude might just cure half the nation’s entitlement overnight.” (sic)
In Westminster, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has indicated he intends to tighten the conditions attached to certain benefits.
Jeremy Clarkson is best known for his work on Top Gear and Clarkson’s Farm
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GETTYIn an interview with the BBC, he said: “It’s about changing the nature of the support and making some of it conditional on people taking opportunities that are presented. So you might increase the conditions required to receive benefits.”
He stressed, however, that he was not placing blame to existing claimants.
Mr Burnham has also announced an overhaul of secondary education designed to steer more young people towards employment, declaring: “I want an education system based on parity between academic and technical which gives all young people a clear path in life. From today, Britain will value the hard hat every bit as much as the graduation cap.”
The Prime Minister has not ruled out further tax rises to fund adult social care, warning of “difficult decisions” ahead on funding.