Jeremy Clarkson fumes Labour ‘don’t know what a male is’ as he rips into Andy Burnham

“Most Labourites aren’t completely sure what a male is,” Mr Clarkson wrote in his column for The Sun.

“And they’re even more baffled by the concept of ‘working class’.”

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He argued while successive governments have sought to ensure fairness for different groups, Andy Burnham’s administration faces a basic definitional problem before its latest initiative even gets off the ground.

The presenter called out Sir Keir Starmer’s characterisation of the working class as someone who “earns their living through daily work”, pointing out that by that definition, James Blunt and the Duke of Beaufort would both qualify.

“I see, so James Blunt is working class. And so is the Duke of Beaufort,” he quipped.

Mr Clarkson predicted the new unit would “chew through millions of pounds” of taxpayers’ money while questioning what it would actually achieve.

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After looking to both the Socialist Workers Party, which dismissed such a move as a “racist dog whistle”, and a lengthy article in The Guardian for answers, the 66-year-old said he was still none the wiser.

He noted the unit would focus on white working-class people without being dedicated solely to them, while social class would not become a protected characteristic under the Equality Act.

The former Top Gear host questioned whether the unit would achieve anything beyond holding meetings where “everyone spends an hour talking claptrap while munching on taxpayer-funded biscuits”.

He also mocked what its work could look like in practice.

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He asked whether companies running adverts featuring someone wearing a turban and a wheelchair user would also be expected to include “someone called Dave in a hard hat”.

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” he added.

Ultimately, Mr Clarkson predicted the unit would achieve “nothing”, arguing Labour politicians have a fundamentally different image of white working-class men from the one he believes they should have.

Rather than picturing a “decent, hard-working miner” walking home through the rain after a shift at the pit, he claimed Labour politicians instead think of Tommy Robinson, “far-right thugs”, Reform voters and people who attach England flags to their vans.

“They see people they despise,” he concluded.

Mr Clarkson then turned his attention to Mr Burnham over his declaration in the House of Commons “national security cannot come at the expense of social security”.

The columnist said he “literally couldn’t believe” what he was hearing and described the Greater Manchester Mayor’s remarks as “truly scary”.

Mr Clarkson acknowledged Mr Burnham’s popularity on social media and said he was “not doing badly in the polls”, but claimed his comments revealed a more concerning political outlook.

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He interpreted Mr Burnham’s position as suggesting welfare spending should take priority over providing the Armed Forces with additional resources.

Mr Clarkson pointed to what he described as threatening noises from Vladimir Putin, the ongoing war in Europe and wider international security concerns as he argued that defence spending must remain a priority.

He also stressed he was not advocating for benefits to be stripped from everyone, saying: “No one is suggesting you cut everyone’s benefits.”

However, he questioned spending on people he accused of fraudulently claiming state support.

Concluding his attack on Mr Burnham, the former Top Gear and The Grand Tour host warned people would be “a lot more unhappy” if Vladimir Putin were to “drop a bomb on them”.