Jeremy Clarkson has backtracked on his previous claim that he bought the farm for tax reasons.

Jeremy Clarkson walked back his previous comments about why he bought his farm, saying he thought “it would be a better PR story if I said I bought it to avoid paying taxes.”

A TV presenter and journalist defied doctors’ orders by joining thousands of farmers in London on Tuesday protesting changes to inheritance tax on farming.

The 64-year-old, who helms Prime Video’s Clarkson Farm, which documents the farming experience on his land in Oxfordshire, wrote in a post on the Top Gear website in 2010: “I bought a farm. There are many good reasons for this: Land is a better investment than any bank can offer. When I die, the government won’t get any of my money. And the price of the food I grow can only go up.”

Responding to the claim in a new interview with The Times, the former Top Gear presenter said: “I never admitted why I actually bought it.”

The bird hunter added: “I wanted to shoot – I was very naive. I just thought it would be better for PR if I said I bought it to avoid paying taxes.”

Clarkson was among the thousands who took to the streets this week to protest changes to the recent budget introducing an inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1 million, and he addressed crowds at a march in central London.

He told the newspaper he didn’t like being the public face of the movement, saying: “It should be led by farmers.”

Earlier this month it was confirmed that Clarkson’s Farm, which brought huge attention to his farm shop Diddly Squat, has been renewed for a fifth series.

Asked whether the tax protest problem was hidden rural poverty, Clarkson agreed and said his program was not helping the situation.

“One of the problems we have on the show is that we don’t show poverty, because obviously there’s no poverty in Diddly Squat,” he said.

“But believe me, there is absolute poverty here. Farmers surround me. I’m not going to dinner with James Dyson.

“These are people with 200 acres, 400 acres. Walked past Rachel Reeves’ doorstep. They’re fucking.”

Discussing whether he might go into politics, Clarkson said: “I would be a terrible political leader, hopeless.

“I’m a journalist at heart and I’d rather throw stones at people than have them throw them at me.”

However, he said he would “100% support any escalation” following the farmers’ march.

Clarkson revealed last month that he had heart surgery to install stents after experiencing a “sudden deterioration” in his health, which caused symptoms of “stickiness”, “tightness” in his chest and “tingling” in his left arm. hand.

In a Sunday Times column, he said one of his arteries was “completely blocked and the second of three was heading there” and doctors said he may be “days away” from becoming seriously ill.

Asked if he was thinking about retiring from the sport, the Doncaster-born celebrity said: “Probably not. I always think it depends on when you die.

“You’ll be surprised, but we northerners are made of tough stuff.”