Jeremy Clarkson has launched a furious attack on the Government over changes to prostate cancer testing, questioning why men over 50 have lost automatic access to PSA checks.
The 66-year-old broadcaster, who recently revealed he was in remission from an aggressive form of prostate cancer, said he was unable to understand the rationale behind the new approach.
“Until last week, men over 50 were entitled to a free PSA prostate cancer check,” Clarkson wrote on X. “But the government has now decided to withdraw that right. I cannot for the life of me work out what their reasoning might be.”
Under the revised guidance, GPs will decide whether a PSA test is appropriate rather than routinely offering the test to men aged over 50 without symptoms. The Government is instead seeking to focus testing on men considered to be at higher genetic risk.
The changes have provoked criticism from campaigners and prominent cancer survivors, who argue that reducing access could save resources in the short term while increasing the risk of cancers being detected later.
Former prime minister David Cameron, who has also had prostate cancer, described the move as “yet another step backwards” and called for targeted screening of men at elevated risk.
Lord Cameron said: “This is yet another step backwards and once again shows why we need simple, proper targeted screening for all at-risk men.
“Screening is essential to catch cancers early, when they can be more effectively and successfully treated. Only due to testing, my cancer was caught and treated in time.
“I urge the new prime minister and health secretary to be brave and bold. Stop the complexity and confusion and introduce a more progressive and life-saving policy: a proper, targeted screening programme that involves all those at higher risk.
“Without it, more men will die, and more families will lose a loved one. Heed the warnings; this is avoidable and can be done.”
The controversy has particular resonance for Clarkson, who revealed during the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He later confirmed that tests showed no evidence of the disease, describing himself as “the world’s luckiest man”.
“It was an aggressive type of cancer. It could have spread, it could have gone into the pancreas, it could have gone anywhere, and that would have been trouble,” he added.
The broadcaster has also found another recent target in Prime Minister Andy Burnham, attacking the Government’s decision to ban disposable barbecues amid heightened wildfire risks during the heatwave.
Clarkson accused ministers of treating the barbecue as the principal culprit behind fires, mocking what he called the Government’s instinct to “ban” everyday activities.
He wrote in The Sun: “There are many things that cause wildfires during a heatwave. Faulty farm machinery, discarded cigarette ends, bored kids who think it might be a laugh to get a blaze going, and even a bit of broken glass,” he penned in The Sun.
But our glorious leader, T-Shirt Burnham, has decided the real problem is the disposable barbecue. Of course he has.
“And now he has banned them. Of course he has. That’s standard practice for the Labourites. People are out in the sunshine, cooking up a couple of sausages and having fun. We can’t have that. Let’s ban it.”
The twin attacks underline Clarkson’s increasingly vocal opposition to the Burnham Government, with the cancer-testing dispute giving the broadcaster a particularly personal reason to challenge ministers.
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