Actor Rob Delaney says there is ‘so much money’ in the UK as he calls for Robin Hood-style taxes

Actor and comedian Rob Delaney has called on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves to take a bolder approach to the ‘Robin Hood-style’ taxation of the rich, saying people in the UK are ‘not idiots’.

Delaney, 47, was speaking to the Big Issue magazine as 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. It’s an outrageous amount of square metres of empty apartments owned by people who don’t live in this country.”

“So when I hear Rachel Reeves say there’s no money, we’re not idiots. There’s money. Take it. Stock it. Make it happen. I’m not interested in ambiguity or managing expectations. So say what you want, but make changes.”

Delaney rose to fame in 2009 when he started posting his jokes on Twitter. In 2011, he began working in television, appearing on a number of American shows. In 2014, he moved to the UK, where he appeared on panel shows such as Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You? and Room 101.

He has also appeared in a number of films, including Deadpool 2, Argylle and Tom and Jerry, and will also be seen in the upcoming film Deadpool and Wolverine.

Delaney, born in Boston in the US, said despite his demands he welcomed Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.

He said: “It feels a little bit different. Anything that gives people a little ray of hope is always positive.”

“I haven’t asked people to vote Labour this time, for all sorts of reasons, but I’m absolutely ready to give Starmer and his team at least 20 minutes.”

The comedian said the loss of his two-year-old son Henry to brain cancer in 2018 had given him a different perspective on politics and wealth.

Delaney added: “I wouldn’t want to overstate my competence or my knowledge of politics, but I could offer a useful perspective: I went from a lower tax bracket to a higher tax bracket, while my son Henry’s health was deteriorating, and then he died, and then he was dead.”

“So I started making more money and found new opportunities to become a class traitor, but at the same time I discovered the limits of what money can do.”

“Money can solve a lot of problems. It’s great. It should be handed out to poor people all day long, Robin Hood style.”

“When I was learning what it can and cannot do in relation to my son’s illness, I also saw nurses who had to take three buses to get to work because they couldn’t afford to live near the hospital. And that was very educational for me.”

Delaney will be featured in this week’s Big Issue.