Jeremy Clarkson prompts fury after describing Covid scientists as ‘communists’ and saying: If you die, you die

Jeremy Clarkson has received a fierce backlash after he described scientists at Sage who are trying to prevent the spread of Covid-19 as “communists” and argued: “If you die, you die.”

The former Top Gear and current Grand Tour host gave his thoughts on the ongoing pandemic to the Radio Times and they were characteristically outspoken.

The 61-year-old is quoted as saying: “I think the politicians should sometimes tell those communists at Sage to get back in their box. Let’s just all go through life with our fingers crossed and a smile on our face.

“I can see Boris doesn’t want to open it up and shut us back down again. But if it’s going to be four years … and who knows, it could be 40 years.”

Clarkson went on to add that, if the pandemic lasts forever, then “let’s open it up and if you die, you die.”

The veteran TV personality has predictably received strong criticism following his rather controversial comments.

Clarkson’s comments come after Scottish historian Neil Oliver said he would “cheerfully risk catching Covid” on his GB News show if it meant he had “freedom.”

He added: “That is a chance one among many that I am prepared to take and happily. Life is not safe. Freedom is not safe. For the sake of freedom, yours and mine together all freedoms being of equal value, I will cheerfully risk much else besides. For me, without freedom, there is no point in anything.”

Clarkson had earlier prompted criticism following his comments about Olympic events like diving, the shot put and dressage by dismissing them as fringe sports adding: “Nothing marks out a country’s minor-league standing more effectively than its pride in things that really don’t matter.”

Clarkson, who revealed earlier this year that he had contracted Covid-19 in December, has been promoting his two new Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm and Grand Tour: Lochdown.