Labour MP condemned for Churchill criticism
LONDON • Theresa May condemned Labour’s John McDonnell for calling Winston Churchill a “villain” as the shadow chancellor repeated his criticism of the former prime minister.
McDonnell sparked an outcry with his remark, but refused to resile Thursday from what he said, claiming it was “tongue-in-cheek” and designed to “provoke” a “bored” audience.
He insisted he would say the same thing again and argued Churchill was not someone working class people in the early 20th century “looked up to.”
McDonnell’s initial comment was seized upon by Downing Street as May lavished praise on the wartime leader, who has previously been recognised as the greatest-ever Briton.
May, who has a portrait of Churchill in her study, said the public “will reach its own judgment” on McDonnell’s remark.
Her official spokesman said: “The prime minister has quoted and referenced Sir Winston Churchill on many occasions and acknowledged him as one of the great prime ministers of the 20th century. His strong leadership, determination and unwavering personality inspired our country through our darkest hour and helped Britain protect those values of peace and freedom that we hold so dear today.”
McDonnell was asked at an event run by the Politico website on Wednesday evening: “Winston Churchill — hero or villain?” He replied: “Tonypandy. Villain.”
His comment was a reference to a demonstration by striking Welsh miners in the town of Tonypandy in 1910 that was broken up by police using truncheons. Churchill, who was home secretary at the time, was alleged to have authorised soldiers to fire on protesters during a riot that followed days later — a claim he always denied.
McDonnell defended his “villain” comment Thursday and said: “It was a bit tonguein-cheek at the end of an inconversation session, and the audience I think was getting a bit bored, so I needed to provoke them a bit.
“Churchill was obviously a hero during the Second World War, but there is another side to Churchill in our history, which is the side in which actually many working-class people at the time and well into the ‘40s and ‘50s were angry about his behaviour. He sent the troops into Tonypandy to shoot the miners. A miner died, others were injured. It was to break a strike.”
The shadow chancellor was backed by a number of high-profile supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, but many Labour and Tory MPs criticized him.