Del Boy would have backed Brexit, Sir David Jason claims

The Trotters cause chaos in France as part of an Only Fools and Horses episode. Photograph: PA Photo/BBC Handout. - Credit: PA

Sir David Jason has suggested that Del Boy would have backed Brexit because the hapless character – whose harebrained, get-rich ventures invariably failed – would have seen it as opportunity to make money.

The Only Fools and Horses star told the Sun that the sitcom character would have seen the UK leaving the European Union as a ‘nice little earner’.

Sir David said: ‘When it comes to Brexit Del would just think, ‘We’ll earn out of this, Rodders’.

‘One day he’d be flogging something to people who want to leave and then the next day he’d be flogging something to people who want to stay.

Sir David admits that the merits of staying or leaving would be less important to him – firmly putting him in the camp of those that are set to make an earner out of the Brexit vote, regardless of the repercussions.

‘For him, he would find out a way to use it.

‘The big political question about staying or leaving wouldn’t interest him, he would just be thinking, ‘How do we earn out of this, Rodders?’.’

Some Brexiteers were quick to seize on the story. Former UKIP MEP Roger Helmer tweeted the article welcoming the support from the fictional character.

Twitter users, however, were quick to respond pointing out Del Boy’s history of ‘get rich’ ideas never went well.

Sofia tweeted: ‘Everyone felt sorry for Del Boy in his failed scams. It’s a good analogy of our international standing though.’

Martin White tweeted: ‘All Del Boy’s ‘nice little earners’ went hilariously tits up. Good Brexit analogy, thanks.’

Archie tweeted: ‘Thanks for confirming that Brexit is the exploitative, self serving, get rich scheme we always knew it was.’

An accompanying editorial article in the Sun claimed that Trotters Independent Traders ‘always understood connections with far-flung markets were just as important as those next door’. It added: ‘It might be an idea to send Del Boy off to Brussels to negotiate’.

It would be difficult to argue Rodney and Derek could be any worse than David Davis or Dominic Raab around the negotiating table, but fans of the programme will know the Trotters are certainly not known for their diplomacy in Europe.