Comic Michael McIntyre has ventured into political commentary for the first time, taking aim at the Tories, declaring: “There is nobody in charge of this rudderless country.”
Michael, 46, returned to the stage at a work in progress gig at Soho Theatre, making swipes at Prime Minister Boris Johnson, PM candidate Rishi Sunak and Tory MP Chris Pincher after spending the summer in LA.
“I am not a political person,” he insists. “I have no stance on anything. I would not dream of it. If it divides people I am not interested but, however... Who remembers the first Rishi?”
The Wheel host then joked that Rishi had appeared to be Prime Minister material during the early stages of the pandemic, when he announced furlough schemes.
“We did not really know Rishi and he came on and stood at the lectern and said: ‘Now listen. I understand things are really bad. We are going to do everything it takes to help. Don’t go to work and I will pay you not to go to work. I am going to give billions of pounds to all of you to stay at home.’
“And everybody watched the telly and thought: ‘I like this guy. He could be Prime Minister. I like his attitude.’”
Then, Michael quipped to cheers from the crowd: “The pandemic passed and he is like: ‘I am going to need that money back.’ And we are like: ‘He is a bit of a d***…what the f***? Get it from your wife.”
He then criticised Boris’ cabinet reshuffle, joking: “If you’re in charge of health it is suddenly: ‘You are not in charge of health anymore, you are in defence.’ I cant call my gardener and say: ‘You are now my chiropractor.’”
And he joked of Pincher: “I don’t want to be political but they are hiring people called Pincher who is done for sexual harassment. The whole thing is insane.”
Michael previously claimed he didn’t understand the difference between left and right wing, and vowed: “I’m just going to stick with trying to make people laugh and give them a break from the rigours of political debate.”
Other jokes in the new routine included telling how he became his family’s hairdresser during lockdown, and how he contracted Covid during his wife’s birthday.
