Could Jeremy Clarkson join forces with Restore? Inside the internet rumours and why it may actually happen - Alex Davies

"Rumours are circulating across social media that Jeremy Clarkson is going to join Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain. This could be HUGE."

That was the message shared by one Union Jack-laden X account just hours after Rupert Lowe officially unveiled Restore Britain as a new political party to go up against Sir Keir Starmer's Labour at the next general election.

At the time of writing, this one social media post alone has had over 1.8million views, spreading like wildfire in the online space as right-leaning X users rushed to express their desire for the alliance to come to fruition. Several more just like it have since emerged as supposed sources continue to tip the partnership.

"Would be huge for farmers", "this is a game-changer", "please let this be true". The excited responses flooded in, and before you knew it, it had become one of the hottest rumours on the right side of politics.

Prominent right-leaning YouTuber Carl Benjamin even threw his two cents into the online discourse, imploring Clarkson to show his support. Lowe "is the guy", he told the former Grand Tour host.

The rumours should come as no surprise. After all, Clarkson has already teased a potential foray into politics in the past few months, appearing to put out a challenge to Labour's Ed Miliband back in October.

Then there's both Lowe and Clarkson's passion for protecting the future of British farming. Lowe's Restore announcement video was recorded right on his own farm, and Diddly Squat in Oxfordshire has been at the epicentre of Clarkson's life since he purchased it in 2008.

It's worth noting that neither Lowe nor Clarkson has addressed the rumours of a possible alliance, but the motoring journalist has had plenty to say about politics of late. So let's delve into what Clarkson has had to say - party-by-party - since the last election and see if it indeed sets the stage for a Restore link-up.

YOUR PARTY

It will come as no surprise to hear that a Clarkson-Corbyn alliance is about as likely as the BBC welcoming Clarkson and his Top Gear partners Richard Hammond and James May back into the fold.

Clarkson has previously compared Corbyn to Pol Pot, branded socialism a "hopeless proposition", and said during Corbyn's tenure as Labour leader that he'd be voting for ABC - "Anyone but Corbyn".

But it is worth noting that, surprisingly, Clarkson has seemingly softened on his opinions of Corbyn, although not going as far as throwing any sort of support behind him.

In a Sun column back in July, he welcomed Your Party to the political fold, taking great pleasure in the debacle the organisation experienced during its launch.

"I must say that I wish him every success," Clarkson said of the former Labour leader. "Because he will undoubtedly split the Left’s vote, thus ensuring that neither he nor that fool Starmer will win the next election. Maybe it should be called the 'Phew' party."

Speaking of which...

LABOUR

It's hard to know where to start when it comes to Clarkson's feelings towards the current Labour administration. In fact, it was his disdain for the government and Net Zero tsar Ed Miliband that prompted his aforementioned tease into politics.

"People of Doncaster North," Clarkson wrote on social media. "Are you happy with your MP? Would you like it if someone from your neck of the woods kicked him out?"

Miliband responded, admitting he welcomed the challenge, although given Labour's approval ratings, it may be a position he soon regrets if a Clarkson-Restore coalition emerges.

Arguably, Clarkson's biggest gripe with Labour is its treatment of farmers. In November 2024, he joined thousands of farmers on the streets of Westminster to urge the government to U-turn on its policy that would see the amount of agricultural assets a farmer can leave to their kids tax-free be capped at £1million.

He said of the government's leaders: "I’m becoming more and more convinced that Starmer and Reeves have a sinister plan. They want to carpet bomb our farmland with new towns for immigrants and net-zero windfarms.

"But before they can do that, they have to ethnically cleanse the countryside of farmers. That’s why they had a Budget which makes farming nigh on impossible. And that’s why I’ll be in London on the 19th," he wrote in the Sun.

He's also previously called "farmers the new miners", branded Starmer a "marxist", and sarcastically suggested he'd rather Putin in power than the current PM.

In numerous newspaper columns, he's also taken aim at the Chancellor. "You want to help your kids get on the property ladder. Well, you can't because that infernal woman, Rachel Reeves, has decided that it'd be better if you gave your money to her instead," Mr Clarkson has written previously.

When claims that Reeves was being bullied by the media and the opposition, who vehemently tore into her tax policies and performance as Chancellor, Clarkson was unsympathetic. "Diddums," he penned on X.

He's staunchly opposed to a number of Labour policies. When it emerged that the government planned on lowering the drink driving limit, he fumed: "After kicking it in the head for a year, the government has now decided to stamp on its balls by lowering the drink-drive limit to the point where you could lose your licence if you get in a car after eating a morsel of tiramisu."

On 16-year-olds being able to vote, Clarkson was similarly unconvinced. He said it meant that "a bunch of people who aren’t old enough to drink in a pub and get all their information from TikTok will be allowed to vote in the General Election, which virtually guarantees the nightmare is here to stay."

And in regards to the country's bloated welfare bill, he accused Labour of being "blind to nuance and political nous".

People of Doncaster North. Are you happy with your MP? Would you like it if someone from your neck of the woods kicked him out?— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) October 12, 2025

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He wrote: "You and I both know that there are many people in this country with genuine disabilities and very real mental health issues.

"But we also know that there are literally millions of people who pretend to have disabilities and mental health issues so they can sit at home all day, using our money to pay for their vulgarsonic television sets.

"So what do you do about that? Well, you or I would task a government department to develop a system that would work out who’s for real and who’s scrounging. But that’s where the problems start, because where, in this day and age, do you find a government employee who thinks like that?"

The 65-year-old has since banned all Labour MPs from his pub The Farmer's Dog, and even if Starmer is replaced by someone else - say, Angela Rayner - Clarkson will still be unlikely to tick Labour at the ballot box.

In fact, when Rayner was forced to relinquish her title as Deputy PM, Clarkson wasted no time taking to social media to rub salt in the wound.

"We paid for Angela Rayner’s education. We paid her wages when she worked for the local council. We paid her wages when she became an MP. We even paid the settlement that enabled her to buy a house. Taxpayers have funded every aspect of her entire life," he wrote.

GREENS

Since the Greens have surged in popularity on the political left following Zack Polanski's appointment as leader, Clarkson has pulled no punches with his take on the so-called "snaggle-toothed vegan" at the helm.

Among their socialist policies that Clarkson disagrees with, he's recently hit headlines when he publicly addressed Polanski's desire to legalise drug use, including heroin and marijuana.

"I’m staggered, really, to hear that Green Party fella with the bad teeth and silly walk saying he wants to legalise weed," Clarkson recently wrote in The Sunday Times.

"We should do the exact opposite. We should do everything in our power to dissuade people from smoking it, and we should start by removing all taxes on pubs and breweries so that the healthy, friendly alternative that they offer becomes more attractive than ingesting a foulness that makes you violent and boring."

But it's not just the Greens' policies Clarkson has a problem with, as he has shared a number of attacks on Polanski himself.

He previously wrote how he was "greatly amused by Zack Polanski". He added: "He is constantly banging on about how he’s going to sort out the country, and I just sit there thinking, 'Mate, you can’t even sort out your own teeth'.

"Honestly, it looks like he takes a picture of Shane MacGowan to the dentist."

Clarkson's also not convinced by the Green Party's tax proposals on the ultra-rich.

As he explained: "One of his big plans for fixing our finances is to tax the nation’s billionaires an extra one per cent. And of course, this is a message that plays well with his pink-haired fans. But I’ve done some sums, and I’m not sure his strategy will work very well."

Polanski has hit back at Clarkson's public statements. "I've got lots of things to say about Jeremy Clarkson. Really not worth it. He knows his game is over, and so is resorting to personal attacks," the Green Party said on X.

Given the evidence so far, it's safe to assume that the left and centre-left of politics looks like a no-go for a Clarkson endorsement. So let's look at the other side.

CONSERVATIVES

Back in 2023, before Starmer and cronies bagged the keys to Number 10, Clarkson, in a post about London Mayor Sadiq Khan on X, conceded that the Tories were "f***ing everything up" in their final months in power.

And summing up his opinions on the Tories in a recent Sun column, he explained: "For reasons no one can quite understand, they decided to stop being sensible.

"They decided they’d become caring ’n’ sharing, Instagram-compliant Blairites. And they also decided that they should elect a new leader every 12 seconds.

"This meant they weren’t doing what their instincts told them to do, and they had no one firmly in charge to do it anyway. And the result was: They damn nearly wiped themselves out."

But since Kemi Badenoch became leader of the opposition, it seems Clarkson may have warmed to the Tories. In December 2024, he even welcomed Badenoch for a chat at his pub.

Badenoch shared chummy snaps from the occasion on X, writing at the time: "A delight to meet local farmers at @JeremyClarkson’s pub where everything served is produced by British farmers.

"Family farms across the country are now at risk because of Labour’s budget. @Conservatives support farmers and will reverse the cruel family farms tax at the first opportunity."

A source said of the meeting to the Telegraph: "They discussed the general challenges facing farmers – tax, regulation and Labour’s family farms tax. They discussed how you make farming attractive to the next generation so that UK farming can prosper in the future."

And it's not just Kemi from the Tories who has warmed themselves to Clarkson. The former Top Gear has been publicly glowing of Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride.

Discussing his performance at last year's Tory Party Conference, Clarkson praised: "He talked about the need to jump-start business. He talked about how wealth creation should be fostered and cherished, and pointed out something that all the other parties seem to have forgotten: Wealth is created not by government but by entrepreneurs, business and the hard-working millions.

It was a pleasure to chat to @JeremyClarkson today about the farmers’ rally and the terrible impact Labour’s budget will have on our rural communities.

Jeremy and I agree we cannot allow the government to get away with it. pic.twitter.com/BBPupVCbWC— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) November 19, 2024

"Then he topped it off by saying that if he becomes Chancellor of the Exchequer, he’ll abolish business rates for shops and pubs on the high street.

"And he’ll cover the cost of this by cutting £47billion of spending, including on the massive civil service, most of which spends its time organising welfare payments for the six million people in this country who choose not to work. I was so amazed by the common sense, I had to be brought round with smelling salts."

Then there's Clarkson's friendship with former Conservative leader and Cotswold neighbour David Cameron, a friendship he once claimed was the reason why he never won a Bafta.

For Clarkson, the Conservatives may look like a suitable alliance, but given the party's polling, could he feel his vote would be more effective elsewhere? Say...

REFORM

Before Restore arrived, many on the political right felt Clarkson would be more at home with Reform UK ahead of the next General Election.

Once again, Farage and Clarkson's passion for British agriculture, their rejection of wokery, and their unapologetic patriotism appeared to align.

However, back in June, Clarkson conceded he would always struggle to see "eye-to-eye" with Farage for one key reason: he was a vocal Remainer.

Clarkson has gone as far as to call Brexit the "biggest mistake of a lifetime".

But that's not all. Clarkson has been publicly critical of Farage and Reform UK's focus on immigration, suggesting they have little expertise to tackle the plethora of other issues that would face the party if it came into power.

In October, Clarkson said in one column: "Farage rarely talks about the economy, and when he does, his numbers don’t add up. He says he wants to cut taxes and increase spending by £150billion. Huh?

"But before anyone has the chance to question his logic, he scuttles back to his safe space and starts raging about small boats. Starmer, meanwhile, has no clue what to do about the economy because he’s thick. That’s why he’s broken it."

Clarkson doubled down in a January column. He titled it: "Do you know what Reform’s policies are? Neither do I… So here’s why voting for Farage won’t solve any of your problems."

Within the piece, Clarkson penned: "It’s extremely easy to say you will tackle immigration, but actually putting those words into action is extremely difficult. As Mr Farage will doubtless find out."

Farage publicly responded, accusing Clarkson of being "wrong". Farage countered: "We've been unveiling new names, new faces, policies for the last six or eight months. Actually, in considerable quantity."

In a dig at the former BBC star, Farage added: "The trouble is he’s surrounded by the Chipping Norton set. The sort of Cameron set and New Labour, and no doubt they're feeding the stuff into his ear."

The Reform UK leader didn't torch bridges entirely, however, praising Clarkson for his "fantastic" work for British farming and "waking the nation up" to the obstacles it faces.

Clarkson, similarly, has come to Farage's defence in light of criticism from the hard left before. He openly ridiculed the suggestion that the Reform UK leader is "far-right", pointing out that the term should be reserved for those truly deserving of the moniker.

RESTORE

A potential bond between Lowe and Clarkson emerged way before the former Southampton FC chairman officially launched Restore.

In 2024, once Clarkson opened the doors to his pub and banned Labour leader Keir Starmer, Lowe told the farmer on social media in no uncertain terms: "I applaud this decision."

Later that year, Lowe praised Clarkson further, saying on X: "I have a lot of respect for @JeremyClarkson and what he has achieved for British farming.

"As one of the few farming MPs in Parliament, I'd be very happy to work with Jeremy in order to fight back against this outrageous attack on British agriculture. Something must be done."

And following Clarkson's now-famous face-off with the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire at the farmers' protests in Westminster, Lowe quickly picked a side.

Lowe said: "The way the BBC treats Clarkson with such contempt is very revealing - a disgraceful organisation. Why not hound down Reeves on her bogus figures? This BBC journalist is divisive, biased, and does not hide her disdain well. I'm backing Clarkson."

All of this lays the path for a political bromance on the right, right? Well, maybe not.

Sadly for the ongoing rumour mill and Restore supporters, Clarkson may not be on the same page politically when it comes to Lowe.

In one public exchange recently, the two butted heads about US President Donald Trump.

Following Trump's absurd comments about British soldiers in Afghanistan taking a back seat, POTUS used his Truth Social platform to issue as close to an apology as can be expected.

Trump called British troops "brave" and "great" and commended the injured and lost as the "greatest of all warriors". "We love you all and always will," Trump added.

Lowe called it a "very honourable statement", but Clarkson was far from in agreement. "Well, now it just isn't," he typed on X in direct response to Lowe's post.

Then there's the issue of Britain's withdrawal from the EU once again. As mentioned earlier, Clarkson has consistently opposed the decision, whereas Lowe was even named as the Brexit Party's lead candidate for the European Elections in the West Midlands.

If Clarkson has publicly admitted he'd struggle to see "eye to eye" with Farage on the issue, perhaps the same obstacles could arise with Restore's leadership.

Well now it just isn’t— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) January 25, 2026

There are promising signs that could keep the rumours alive, however. As recently as this month, both men were in agreement that government plans to make the countryside "less white" were preposterous.

Clarkson called it the brainchild of "left-leaning lunatics".

There's still plenty of time until the next general election - at the time of writing, at least - and plenty more Clarkson columns and social media posts to undoubtedly come.

But given the evidence so far, it looks like the social media right needn't hold its breath. Unless Lowe and Clarkson can find common ground that outweighs their differing views on issues such as Brexit, a public endorsement looks somewhat of a pipedream.

However, stranger things have happened. And who knows? Perhaps the two farmers can set aside their differences over a pint of Hawkstone and make the wishes of thousands of supporters come true.

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