Real reason Clarkson's Farm put flash image of Rachel Reeves in final episode

9 June 2025, 14:23

By Alice Dear

Jeremy Clarkson made a very subtle dig at Rachel Reeves and the Government's 2024 budget during Clarkson's Farm 4 - but did you spot it?

Jeremy Clarkson, 65, has made his views on Rachel Reeves' budget very clear in the past - especially the changes in inheritance tax for farmers. Now, he's used his Amazon Prime show Clarkson's Farm to make another dig at the Government's controversial decision.

Clarkson's Farm 4, which will return for season five next year, saw the return of beloved stars Kaleb Cooper, Lisa Hogan, Gerald Cooper, Alan Townsend and Charlie Ireland to document another year on Diddly Squat Farm. The season, however, was one of many issues for Jeremy and his team, as well as the wider farming community.

During the course of season four, we saw Jeremy struggle with balancing the farm and opening his pub, The Farmer's Dog, dealing with the loss of Kaleb after he took off on a nationwide tour, and - maybe the biggest issue - the weather, which caused the success of his harvest to plummet.

And that's where the very quick flash image of Rachel Reeves (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) with the budget comes into play. During one of the final scenes of the last episode of Clarkson's Farm 4, Jeremy can be seen on his tractor harvesting one of Diddly Squat's fields as his voice over reflects on the farm community's forward-looking mentality.

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As he says: "You keep going because you believe next year couldn't possibly be any worse," viewers could see a picture of Rachel Reeves holding up the 2024 budget for a split-second.

For many, this was obviously a comedically-placed nod to what to expect from season five of Clarkson's Farm, which is very on-brand for Jeremy and his quick-wit and outspoken ways. Others, however, were left confused by the image, and even questioned whether it was an editing mistake.

One viewer took to Reddit to comment: "While watching Clarkson's Farm on Amazon Prime Video, a still image of a woman flashed on screen for a split second. Likely an editing mistake. Anyone else notice this?"

Meanwhile, another non-local viewer posted: "I'm Canadian so I'm unfamiliar if this is some kind of political Statement or something, but I found it weird, can anyone give context?"

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Yes, the image of Rachel Reeves was purposefully placed in this Clarkson's Farm scene; it flashes up as a comical way of highlighting the issues Jeremy and his team will face in the following year, due to the new inheritance tax rules for farmers.

Previously, Jeremy had accused Rachel, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, of "making farming nigh on impossible," and joined the crowds of farmers protesting in London last year as they called for the decision to be reversed.

It was in September 2024 that Rachel Reeves revealed the Autumn Budget, where changes in personal taxes meant that exemptions for those inheriting farmland would become less generous from 2026, on the April 6, to be more specific. The treasury estimates that the changes will raise up to £520million a year.

During this time, Jeremy told the Times: "Land is a better investment than any bank can offer. The government doesn't get any of my money when I die. And the price of the food that I grow can only go up."

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