Editing Michael Caine (section)

==Political views==
Caine has often been outspoken about his political views, referring to himself as a "[[One-nation conservatism|left-wing Tory]]" influenced by both his [[working class]] background and [[Korean War]] service.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Clarke|first=Donald|title=Michael Caine: Still willing to blow the bloody doors off|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/michael-caine-still-willing-to-blow-the-bloody-doors-off-1.3619061|access-date=26 July 2021|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> He left the United Kingdom for the United States in the late 1970s, citing the [[income tax]] levied on top earners by the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government of [[James Callaghan]], which then stood at 83%.<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2012/02/income-tax-rate-france-chart | title= Chart of the day: the highest income tax rates | first=George | last=Eaton | work=[[New Statesman]] | date=29 February 2012 | access-date=23 December 2017}}</ref> He lived in [[Beverly Hills]] during that time, but returned to the UK eight years later when taxes had been lowered by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government of [[Margaret Thatcher]]:

{{blockquote|I realised that's not a [[Socialism|socialist]] country, it's a [[Communism|communist]] country without a dictator, so I left and I was never going to come back. Maggie Thatcher came in and put the taxes back down and in the end, you know, you don't mind paying tax. What am I going to do? Not pay tax and drive around in a [[Rolls-Royce Motor Cars|Rolls-Royce]], with [[cripple]]s begging on the street like you see in some countries?<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Caine-comes-circle/story-12649493-detail/story.html | title= Caine comes full circle | work= [[Essex Chronicle]] | date= 9 November 2009 | access-date= 26 January 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140201212616/http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Caine-comes-circle/story-12649493-detail/story.html | archive-date= 1 February 2014 | url-status=dead | df= dmy-all }}</ref>}}

Following the launch of his film ''[[Harry Brown (film)|Harry Brown]]'' in 2009, Caine called for the reintroduction of [[national service]] in the UK to give young people "a sense of belonging, rather than a sense of violence".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.sky.com/story/738277/put-young-people-in-the-army-says-caine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929153937/http://news.sky.com/story/738277/put-young-people-in-the-army-says-caine |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 September 2013 |title=Put Young People In The Army, Says Caine |date=29 September 2013 |access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref>

In 2009, Caine publicly criticised the [[Brown ministry|Labour government]] of [[Gordon Brown]] for its new 50% income tax rate on top earners and threatened to return to the United States if his taxes were increased further.<ref name=":0">{{cite news | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5221192/Michael-Caine-The-Government-has-reached-its-limit-with-me.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5221192/Michael-Caine-The-Government-has-reached-its-limit-with-me.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title= Michael Caine: 'The Government has reached its limit with me' | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=25 April 2009 | access-date=26 January 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> During the run up to the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], Caine publicly endorsed the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] and appeared with then-party leader [[David Cameron]] for the launch of a civilian non-compulsory "National Service" for sixteen-year-olds, although Caine stated he had previously supported [[New Labour]] under the leadership of [[Tony Blair]] in [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8617149.stm |publisher=BBC News | first=Kevin | last=Young | title=Political celebrities: Then & now | date=20 April 2010}}</ref> In July 2014, Caine was reported to have been a celebrity investor in a [[tax avoidance]] scheme called Liberty.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/george-michael-and-michael-caine-accused-of-tax-avoidance-through-liberty-scheme-9594976.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/george-michael-and-michael-caine-accused-of-tax-avoidance-through-liberty-scheme-9594976.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=George Michael and Michael Caine accused of tax avoidance through Liberty scheme |work=The Independent|date=9 July 2014|access-date=11 July 2014}}</ref> In November 2014, Caine described the proposed [[mansion tax]] by then Labour leader [[Ed Miliband]] as "preposterous and silly".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/sir-michael-caine-mansion-tax-is-preposterous-and-silly-9843825.html |title=Sir Michael Caine: 'Labour's Mansion Tax is preposterous and silly' |website=eveningstandard.co.uk|date=6 November 2014|access-date=26 March 2020}}</ref>

Caine voted in favour of [[Brexit]] in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 European Referendum]], stating he would rather be a "poor master than a rich servant".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/06/sir-michael-caine-reveals-voted-brexit-would-rather-poor-master/amp/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/06/sir-michael-caine-reveals-voted-brexit-would-rather-poor-master/amp/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Sir Michael Caine reveals he voted for Brexit because he 'would rather be a poor master than a rich servant' |website=Daily Telegraph |access-date=14 February 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He said he was a reluctant Leaver; "I don't know what to vote for. Both are scary. To me, you've now got in Europe a sort of government-by-proxy of everybody, who has now got carried away. Unless there is some extremely significant changes, we should get out."<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/eu-referendum-brexit-remain-who-do-celebrities-support-david-beckham-jk-rowling-a7094751.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/eu-referendum-brexit-remain-who-do-celebrities-support-david-beckham-jk-rowling-a7094751.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The celebrities that support Brexit (and the ones backing Remain) |work=The Independent |access-date=27 November 2018 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In November 2024, following the election of Labour Party leader [[Keir Starmer|Sir Keir Starmer]] as Prime Minister in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|July of that year]], Caine supported the petition on the [[UK Parliament petitions website]] that demands a [[Next United Kingdom general election|new general election]] in the UK by sharing it on his [[Twitter|X]] account.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://x.com/themichaelcaine/status/1861004564763193810|title= Call a General Election - Petitions|date=25 November 2024|access-date=27 November 2024}}</ref>

In a 2010 [[Classic FM (UK)|Classic FM]] interview, Caine said that he had requested a doctor to deliberately give his father a fatal overdose when he was dying from [[liver cancer]] in 1955 and endorsed [[voluntary euthanasia]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=9 October 2010 |title=Sir Michael Caine made plea to help father die |language=en-GB |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11507055 |access-date=26 July 2021}}</ref>