Jeremy Clarkson drops worrying hint he may have to close Cotswolds pub over new government threat: ‘Back off!’
Jeremy Clarkson has warned that village pubs like his in Asthall near Burford, Oxfordshire, could be dealt yet another blow if the government goes forward with a rumoured restriction on pubgoers.
The Clarkson’s Farm star opened the doors to The Farmer’s Dog back in August 2024 but the 64-year-old has branded the task of turning it into a profitable enterprise as near-impossible.
The former Top Gear frontman has faced bouts of theft, forked out staggering funds to appease the local council, and labelled his first festive period as a pub owner as a “total disaster”.
The Farmer’s Dog hasn’t been immune to criticism from punters either, coming under fire for its modern cashless approach, its strict one-hour booking slots, and the flogging of a £200 pie in its neighbouring farm shop.
Despite the naysayers and mounting obstacles, The Farmer’s Dog is still going strong. Still, writing in his latest newspaper column, Clarkson fears that stricter measures on the drink-driving limit could prove costly – or even fatal to the business.
His concerns have arisen after the government faced calls to lower the drink-drive limit by The National Police Chiefs’ Council, the British Medical Association (BMA), and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.
The current limit of 80mg per 100ml of blood was set in 1967 and is roughly equivalent to two pints of lager.
Campaigners want the limit reduced to 50mg per 100ml across the UK, meaning just one pint of medium-strength beer would hit the limit.
While campaigners claim this would reduce the number of drink-driving road accidents, Clarkson isn’t on board with the threat of new measures.
In fact, he fears it could deter potential customers from venturing to pubs across the country, leading to their eventual demise in an era where hundreds of pubs are shutting each year anyway.
He explained: “As I’ve been discovering in recent months, it is extremely difficult to make a pub profitable.
“The rot started with the smoking ban, which forced the nation’s fun people into the wind and the rain until it dawned on them that staying at home for a smoke and a pint was easier.”
He continued in The Sun: “Then came Brexit which caused huge staff shortages, and the sudden rise in energy costs which means cooking a poached egg now costs £15,000.
“Then we got Rachel Reeves and her madcap ideas on National Insurance.
“And now comes news they’re thinking of lowering the drink-drive limit to a point where a spoonful of sherry trifle will be enough to put you on the bus for 12 months.
“I wish they’d back off, because the fact is this… You don’t have a village school anymore, or a village bobby or a village doctor. If the village pub has to close as well, what’s left?” he said as he concluded his warning about the future closure of pubs just like his.
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There are reports in some of the sillier newspapers that the enormous pork pie is for sale at the Farmer’s Dog for £200. You’re welcome to buy it for that, but I wouldn’t recommend eating it. As it’s not made of food.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) January 24, 2025
Elsewhere, Clarkson’s pub hit headlines this week when the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host decided to address the uproar surrounding some of the prices at his Asthall business.
After a vlogger shared a social media post criticising Clarkson for selling a giant £200 pie at Hops and Chops, the pub’s neighbouring butchers, the Grand Tour star took to X to set the record straight on the matter.
Clarkson quipped: “There are reports in some of the sillier newspapers that the enormous pork pie is for sale at the Farmer’s Dog for £200.
“You’re welcome to buy it for that, but I wouldn’t recommend eating it. As it’s not made of food.”