Prime Minister Boris Johnson has responded to television presenter Jeremy Clarkson after the star accused the Government of not doing enough to support agriculture.

The star of Clarkson's Farm posted a video on his Twitter account saying he would "like to see the Government prioritising farming".

He added: "We have been asked to diversify and when we try to do that the local authorities tell us we can't – that needs addressing."

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His remarks followed a battle with West Oxfordshire District Council which recently prevented him from building a car park for visitors to his farm in Chadlington, near Chipping Norton.

Mr Johnson replied by saying: "We're backing British farming by investing in new technology so that we grow and eat more of our fantastic homegrown produce.

"We're also supporting farmers to unlock the potential of their land and seize new opportunities."

Replying in a video of his own, he asked Mr Clarkson if he had read the Government's food strategy.

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He said: "A lot of that [strategy] is about backing British farming, backing our own domestic food production, eating more of what we grow here, and of course growing much more.

"We want to back farmers in all sorts of ways, in particular making sure they have access to the labour they need but also supporting them when it comes to their fuel costs, their fertilizer costs, but also supporting them also with innovation."

He added that the Government wanted to ensure that farmers can develop their property to help them "make the most of their land".

He said: "We want to ensure that when [farmers] want to turn a barn into a bistro that the computer does not say no and we help them make the most of their crops and [their land]."

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This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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