Victoria Derbyshire makes feelings clear on Jeremy Clarkson row amid ‘character assassination’ claims: ‘Was polite!’

Victoria Derbyshire has responded directly to the criticism she faced following an interview with former Top Gear star, Jeremy Clarkson.

On Tuesday, Clarkson joined thousands of farmers in Westminster to protest against the Labour government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax for farmers.

The dubbed “tractor tax” will end the inheritance tax exemption that has helped family farms pass through generations and from 2026, farmers with land worth more than £1 million will no longer be able to leave their farms to their children tax-free.

Clarkson has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer to reverse the proposals outlined in the Budget – weeks after sarcastically claiming the Labour duo had a “sinister plan” to “ethnically cleanse the countryside of farmers” for “new towns for immigrants”.

On Tuesday, he reiterated his hopes to Derbyshire but the pair clashed when the BBC star claimed Clarkson had only bought his farm to avoid paying IHT in the first place.

“Classic BBC,” Clarkson moaned before he batted away Derbyshire’s line of questioning regarding where the government should find the money to fill the so-called “black hole” of debt if not farmers.

As the interview unravelled, Clarkson called upon his fellow protestors to get his point across to Derbyshire while the Newsnight star claimed she wasn’t spouting her own “opinions”.

The interview even led Clarkson to take aim at the BBC when he appeared on-stage later in the day, blasting the corporation and Derbyshire for being the “mouthpiece for this infernal government”.

On social media, fans everywhere weighed in with their strong opinions on Derbyshire and Clarkson’s conduct, with many applauding Clarkson for his defiant responses while others praised Derbyshire for her line of questioning.

And as the reactions flooded in, Derbyshire felt the need to take to X, formerly Twitter, to address some users’ concerns with the footage.

One furious X user responded to Derbyshire and Clarkson’s interview by saying: “So. @vicderbyshire deliberately misdirects attention to @JeremyClarkson rather than focus upon the purpose of the demonstration? You could have asked any other farmer there about their personal circumstances or grievance. You didn’t.

“She went straight for the character assassination of one of the most popular men in Britain. Didn’t you? @WilliamHill and @Betfred have closed the book on who you voted for at the general election. And I pay a license fee for this partial, personal sniping? Grow up.”

Derbyshire hit back at the social media user directly, replying: “See my timeline… I spoke to a bunch of other farmers of course.”

The BBC interviewer had indeed spoken to other farmers staunchly against Labour’s proposed measures, which prompted Derbyshire to double down on her claims that she attempted to get a broad range of voices.

“I interviewed a whole (bunch) of people today!!!” the Newsnight host said on Tuesday. “I haven’t put them all up – got to write the prog and prep for some prerecorded ints / some we will play on NN tonight – I’ve talked to two young women on TikTok – variety of people etc.”

However, Derbyshire’s explanation and conduct in the interview didn’t wash with other critics, with one even claiming the BBC sent her to the march with a “dodgy brief” from bosses.

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hi mary am not terrified of anything or anyone 🙂
Everyone was really polite and courteous today (including me !)

— Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) November 19, 2024

The disgruntled social media user said: “Dear Victoria, You looked terrified when dealing with a group of British citizens you have never interacted with before.

“They are kindness itself. Please listen to them and report their concerns with honesty. I thought you had been given a very dodgy brief by the BBC today.”

Defending her position, Derbyshire responded: “Hi mary am not terrified of anything or anyone [smiling emoji]. Everyone was really polite and courteous today (including me!)”

Some users weren’t onside still, however, including one who brought up her interview with Clarkson again: “You definitely had an agenda when asking Clarkson, hence his over the top reactions.”

But others jumped to Derbyshire’s defence: “It’s a legitimate question, many people in the farming space, or owners of farming land are often advised to buy the land as it is a way to avoid inheritance tax. Clarkson is indeed one of those people. We have a right for that to be a discussion around this tax increase.” (sic)