Rob Delaney: 'Money is great. It should be handed out Robin Hood-style to poor people all day long'

Actor, writer and comedian Rob Delaney has called for new chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves to be bolder in her approach to “Robin Hood-style” wealth distribution.

Speaking to the Big Issue in the wake of Labour’s comprehensive general election victory, Delaney also said he wants action on the estimated one million homes standing empty across the UK. The Boston-born, London-based actor explained: “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.

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“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 for the chancellor, Deadpool & Wolverine actor Delaney is broadly welcoming of the UK’s new government. He settled in the UK in 2014, meaning he’s only lived here under Conservative Prime Ministers thus far.

“It does feel a little bit different,” he said. “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.”

In the wide-ranging new interview, Delaney talks about working with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on Deadpool & Wolverine, his admiration for Tom Cruise and the Big Issue, why actors should do what they’re told, and his determination to use his platform for good. He also explained how his two-year-old son’s death in 2018 has informed his 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,” Delaney said.

“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.”

Read the full interview with Rob Delaney in this week’s Big Issue, out now.

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