Jeremy Clarkson questions UK business and farming at Conservative conference

Jeremy Clarkson made a surprise appearance at the Conservative Party conference, where he questioned why anyone would set up a business in Britain now and suggested looking abroad for a more welcoming environment. In a clip played during coverage of the event, Clarkson said: 'Why would you set, why would anybody set up a business in this country right now?' He went on: 'So you go and find a country, you go and find a country somewhere and there will be one where they go, oh, that's a good idea. That'll employ people. And you know, that's good for farming and what have you. See if we can do it abroad somewhere. I probably won't, but I'm dreaming of it.'

The appearance was treated as a notable coup for the Conservatives. Presenters described it as a rabbit out of the hat moment and a bit of star power, and said it was a good get for the party. They argued Clarkson had a point, claiming that high taxes, over-regulation and energy costs were holding Britain back. They said the American economy was booming while Britain and Europe lagged behind, and that government policy could make the UK more dynamic if it chose to.

The discussion then widened into a debate about wealth, tax and emigration. It was noted that a billionaire worth about £28 billion had left the UK over the weekend for Monaco, where his brother already lives. Some argued that wealthy people who leave should not be called traitors, pointing to concerns about personal safety, tax levels, workers' rights and equalities law. Others said it was selfish for people with more money than they could spend to leave when the country needed help, and that their wealth had been built using British workers, infrastructure and public services.

Immigration and Britain's economic history also became part of the argument. One presenter said two thirds of the 20 richest people in Britain were born abroad and that migration had made Britain wealthy. Another disputed that, saying Britain's earlier wealth came from empire and exploitation, and that immigration was not what built the country. The programme later moved on to newspaper front pages and unrelated research about rising cancer cases among younger people.