Scrap beer tax & Gen Z will return to work, says Jeremy Clarkson as he blasts Reeves for ‘making weed cheaper than pint’

JEREMY Clarkson has slammed Rachel Reeves for “making weed cheaper than a pint” and called for beer tax to be axed.

The Hawkstone creator, 65, hit out at the Chancellor and highlighted a sad state of affairs as three breweries and eight pubs shut down every week.

It comes even after they secured business rates support following The Sun’s Save Our Sups campaign.

But pubs are still struggling with Budget increases in National Insurance costs and the minimum wage, plus energy bills.

The last three months of 2025 saw 181 pub insolvencies recorded.

And, Reeves increased alcohol duty by 3.66% earlier this month, which means the cost of four bottles of 330ml lager will have risen by 6p and a bottle of red wine by 13p.

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The increase is in line with Retail Price Inflation, and pushes up the cost of buying booze in the shops and pubs.

It has also seen several beer brands lowering their alcohol percentages to help save tens of millions on alcohol duty each year.

Some argued it helps them adapt to younger drinkers who are increasingly opting for lower-strength beverages too – a revelation the Clarkson’s Farm star also slammed.

“Some time ago, the worldwide band of increasingly odd Gen-Z people decided to stop working and mating and now, alarmingly, they’ve decided to stop drinking alcohol as well,” he wrote in The Times.

But the Diddly Squat owner also highlighted soaring pint prices and said they have much to do with the younger generation staying home.

The typical price of a pint crossed the £5 mark last year and is now above £5.20.

The Top Gear legend pointed out that one round of drinks for four is £24, while a gram of weed, or “kale in a Rizla”, is about half that.

Clarkson questioned whether there was a link between an increasing number of people smoking cannabis and the ten million employees who claimed they were suffering with mental health last year.

One in five Gen-Z employees were signed off work because of it and every year, the cost to the economy an estimated £57 billion, said Clarkson.

The savvy business mogul reminisced the days when people caught up with their mates over a pint at their local boozer.

“They were largely happy and only skipped work if their leg had come off,” he wrote.

Last year London mayor Sir Sadiq argued cannabis should be legalised in the UK, and claimed there was “compelling evidence” that possessing small amounts should not be a crime.

But Labour rejected his calls and  Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Cannabis is associated with antisocial behaviour.

“And heavy use can lead to serious psychosis and severe mental health problems.

“I completely oppose these plans.”

Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley added: “At the moment we see drugs being at the centre of a lot of crime.

“We see a lot of communities complaining about public drug use.

“And that’s a big issue in terms of anti-social behaviour.”

Clarkson agreed and said “we should do everything in our power to dissuade people from smoking it [cannabis]”.

The TV presenter instead called for Reeves to remove all taxes on pubs and breweries.

“Sure, if we remove tax from alcohol, Rachel Reeves would lose £12.5 billion a year,” he wrote.

“But think what she’d save if everyone currently sitting in a dope-infused fug of paranoia and despair suddenly cleared their heads and went back to work.”