Outspoken television personality Jeremy Clarkson, famed for voicing his opinions, has recently been vocal about his inability to gel with those who voted in favour of Brexit. Following the UK’s tumultuous separation from the EU in 2020—a continuation of the 2016 referendum outcome—Clarkson experienced firsthand the complications arising from new policies.

Although he typically doesn’t mind associating with people holding different beliefs, Brexit supporters are where he draws the line. Expressing his frustration, he remarked: “It’s not so bad if they put their hands up and admit they made a mistake. But if I encounter someone who still thinks it was all a brilliant idea, I get so cross my hair catches fire and my teeth start to itch.”

Writing in The Times, Clarkson shared an anecdote about a recent trip turned logistical nightmare due to the fresh bureaucracy post-Brexit.

Alongside Kaleb Cooper, his Diddly Squat farm manager featured in Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video, Clarkson faced the repercussions of Brexit while trying to get through the Channel Tunnel to Calais. A usual 35-minute journey from Folkestone turned into hours of unexpected delays at the border.

Jeremy Clarkson has recounted a nightmare journey to France, describing being stuck “in a gigantic lorry park full of trucks from every conceivable European country” before even reaching the Channel Tunnel.

The delays, he revealed, were due to rigorous border checks where they had to register their filming gear at both ends, reports GloucestershireLive.

“I have crossed many tricky borders over the years and the paperwork always takes time,” Clarkson remarked. “Iraq to Turkey took a moment, that’s for sure. And Rwanda into Tanzania was challenging as well. But nothing has ever taken as long as it took us to get from post-Brexit England into France.”

He also took a swipe at the government’s stance on Brexit, saying: “I’m not sure about that. I’d certainly prefer the bankers to Starmer and Reeves. I’d prefer anything. The fourth form of my local school. My dogs. Trump, even.”

Despite Brexit occurring five years ago, the UK remains deeply divided over its impact, with some championing it for sovereignty and control over borders, while others lament the economic and social fallout.

The UK is grappling with a host of challenges, including rising trade barriers and reduced access to EU markets, which have piled on additional hurdles for British businesses. Brexit has reportedly cost the UK a staggering £140bn to date since its departure from the Union.

Research by Cambridge Econometrics suggests that by 2035, the UK could see three million fewer jobs, a 32% dip in investment, exports down by 5%, and imports slashed by 16%, compared to if it had remained an EU member. Yet, in stark contrast, Lord Offord of Garvel, the then-Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade and Scotland Office, offered an optimistic outlook in his March 2024 address to Parliament.

He claimed: “Since the referendum, the UK economy has grown faster than those of Germany, Italy and Japan, and is equal with the French. The IMF is now predicting that the UK will have the fastest growth in the G7 in the next five years.

“Meanwhile, our exports have reached £870 billion, and we are well on target to reach our overall target of £1 trillion. That growth in trade is greatly assisted by our free trade agreements, now signed with 73 countries globally plus the EU.”

He further expressed his belief that the decision to leave Brexit was actually a strategic move anticipating a larger shift in global trade. He stated: “We all know that when the UK voted to join the Common Market in the 1970s, Europe accounted for one-third of global trade at that point.When we left in 2019 it was 16% of global trade, and the forecast is that it will be 9% in 2050.”

“Putting aside the cultural, political or geographical issues, the British people have made a savvy business decision to tilt to where the trade is-the Indo-Pacific-and we should be better at communicating that to people.”