Actor and comedian Rob Delaney has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to be more bold in her approach to “Robin Hood-style” taxes on the rich saying people in the UK are “not morons”.
Delaney, 47, was speaking to the Big Issue magazine when he called on the Government to “make changes” to the way wealth is distributed in Britain.
He said: “The amount of money in this country is outrageous, the sheer square footage of empty flats owned by people who don’t live in this country – come on now.
“So when I hear Rachel Reeves say, there isn’t any money, we’re not morons.
“There is money. Take it. Mint it. Make it happen. I’m not interested in equivocating or managing expectations. So say whatever you want, but make changes.”
Delaney rose to fame in 2009 when he began posting his jokes on Twitter, in 2011 he began working in television and featured in a number of US shows, before moving to the UK in 2014, where he has appeared on panel shows such as Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You? and Room 101.
He has also featured in a number of films including Deadpool 2, Argylle, and Tom and Jerry, and will also feature in the forthcoming movie, Deadpool and Wolverine.
Born in Boston, in the US, Delaney went on to say that despite his demands, he welcomed Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.
He said: “It does feel a little bit different. Anything that gives people a little beacon of hope is always positive.
“I wasn’t telling people to go vote Labour this time, for a variety of reasons, but I’m entirely prepared to give Starmer and company at least a 20-minute grace period.”
The comedian said losing his two-year-old son, Henry, to brain cancer in 2018 had given him a different outlook on politics and wealth.
Delaney added: “I wouldn’t overstate my competence or my grasp on politics, but where I might offer a little useful perspective is that I went from a lower tax bracket to a higher tax bracket at the same time my son Henry’s health was failing, and then he was dying, and then he was dead.
“So I started making more money and finding new opportunities to become a class traitor but, at the same time, I was finding out the limits of what money can do.
“Money can solve a lot of problems. It’s great. It should be handed out Robin Hood-style to poor people all day long.
“When I was learning about what it can and can’t do surrounding my son’s illness, I was also seeing nursing staff who have to take three buses to get to work because they can’t afford to live anywhere near the hospital. And that was very educational for me.”
Delaney will feature in this week’s edition of the Big Issue.
