Actor and comedian Rob Delaney has called for the new Chancellor to be bolder in her approach to “Robin Hood-style” wealth distribution in this week’s Big Issue (22 July).
“The amount of money in this country is outrageous,” the Deadpool & Wolverine star tells the Big Issue. “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.”
Despite his bold demands, Delaney is broadly welcoming of the UK’s new Labour leaders. Boston-born Delaney settled in the UK in 2014, meaning he’s only lived under Tory governments. “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.”
Losing his two-year-old son to a brain tumour in 2018 has given Delaney a different perspective on politics and wealth. “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.
