Rob Delaney calls NHS 'pinnacle of human achievement' in pro-Labour election video
Actor and writer praised service for 'extraordinary care' it gave his young son who died of a brain tumour in 2018
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rob Delaney has posted a video ahead of the general election hailing the NHS as “the pinnacle of human achievement”.
Delaney, who co-wrote and starred in British sitcom Catastrophe, shared the clip on his Twitter page, where he recounted his “terrifying” experience of being treated by a private healthcare system while living in the US.
The American actor and writer, who says in the video he’s an “enthusiastic” Labour supporter, praised the NHS for the “extraordinary care” his son Henry was given in the UK before he died of a brain tumour in 2018.
“Throughout the 21 months that he was under the care of the NHS, the care that he received and that our family received was truly unbelievable,” he said, adding: “As far as I can tell, the NHS is basically the pinnacle of human achievement.”
He compared the experience with that of his time in America, saying: “Under the American private healthcare system my insurance company, when I started to generate big bills because I had been in a car accident, they just dropped me, and I became responsible for tens of thousands of dollars in bills. And that was terrifying at the age of 25.”
Delaney expressed his fear that, should the Conservative Party stay in power, “the NHS is going to be on the table [if] we leave the EU under the terms of Boris Johnson’s disastrous Brexit deal”.
He said: “Donald Trump is going to give it to Donald Trump Jr and Eric and Ivanka and they’re going to divvy it up and sell it to private pharmaceutical companies, and the NHS as we know it will be gone.”
Earlier this week, comic book writer Alan Moore – who created Watchmen – revealed he felt compelled to vote in the election for the first time in 20 years.
He acknowledged that his vote “...is principally against the Tories rather than for Labour”, but described Corbyn’s manifesto as “the most encouraging set of proposals that I’ve ever seen from any major British party”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments