Writing in The Sunday Times, the broadcaster and publican said recent Government decisions demonstrated “a lack of understanding” of how pubs operate and the financial reality facing businesses.
Drink drive limit
Clarkson criticised proposals to lower the drink drive limit, claiming the change would deter rural customers already facing high household costs.
“If a potential customer does come through the door, they are only going to order a schooner of tap water,” he wrote, adding that the sector was simultaneously dealing with higher national insurance, uncertainty over business rates and rising energy costs.
Biz rates increase
Using his own site, The Farmer’s Dog in Burford, as an example, he said the pub’s rateable value would increase from £27,250 to £55,000 under the revaluation, with national insurance increases adding a further £42,000 to the annual wage bill.
“How can you pass this on to customers when they have a £2bn gas bill to pay and they can’t get there anyway because of the new drink driving rules,” he said.
Clarkson also highlighted concerns raised by other operators, referencing Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame, who recently warned there was a “real risk” current policies would do to pubs “what Margaret Thatcher did to the miners”.
The criticism follows sector wide frustration over business rates, with chefs including Tom Kerridge also warning that steep valuation increases will threaten viability.
Clarkson said the uncertainty within Government made planning more difficult. “If [Rachel Reeves] gets her way, it’ll be a catastrophe,” he said, quoting Kerridge’s warning that the bill for one of his sites would rise from £50,000 to £124,000.
Farmer-sized pints
Despite the wider climate, Clarkson has continued to invest in marketing and on-site initiatives at his pub. The Farmer’s Dog has launched the Farmer’s Pint, a larger 1.5 pint glass designed “to reduce unnecessary journeys to the bar and increase general satisfaction”.
The vessel is available on site and for purchase at the Grand Tour Tent’s Hops & Chops shop, as well as online via Hawkstone.
Clarkson’s comments come weeks after he publicly backed the growing number of operators banning Labour MPs from their venues in protest at rising business costs. The movement began in early December, with several sites displaying “No Labour MPs” signage downloaded via the Wonky Table operator group.
At the time, Clarkson confirmed he had barred all Labour MPs from The Farmer’s Dog, with the exception of Markus Campbell Savours, who recently had the Labour whip suspended after opposing inheritance tax changes affecting farmers.
Clarkson said the cumulative impact of rate increases, wage inflation and higher operating costs was reshaping the landscape for pubs.
Citing restaurateurs who report customers leaving earlier in the evening and spending less, he questioned the relevance of proposed licensing extensions. “What’s the point of staying open till 2am,” he wrote. “It will simply increase the wage bill and electricity bill and bring in no extra customers.”
He said many in the industry felt pubs had become a casualty of “politics of envy”, warning that without urgent reform the sector risked accelerated closures.
