Outrage as McDonnell brands Churchill a ‘villain’
Churchill’s own grandson leads the backlash over Shadow Chancellor’s slur on former PM
JOHN McDonnell was condemned last night for calling Winston Churchill a ‘villain’.
The Shadow Chancellor cited Tonypandy, the Welsh mining village where Churchill sent troops to quell riots in 1910. The controversy was largely forgotten after he led Britain to victory over the Nazis.
Mr McDonnell was asked at an event in Westminster whether the wartime prime minister was a ‘hero or villain’. He replied: ‘Villain. Tonypandy.’ MPs accused him of ‘blackening the name’ of Britain’s ‘greatest hero’.
Churchill’s grandson, Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames, described Mr McDonnell as a ‘Poundland Lenin’.
JOHN McDonnell provoked a furious backlash last night when he described Winston Churchill as a ‘villain’.
The Shadow Chancellor was accused of ‘blackening the name’ of the country’s ‘greatest hero’ in comments made during an interview in Westminster.
Churchill’s own grandson, Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames, condemned Mr McDonnell as a ‘Poundland Lenin’ while Boris Johnson, author of a biography of the former prime minister, said he should be ‘utterly ashamed’.
Asked at an event hosted by the Politico website whether Churchill was a ‘hero or villain’, Mr McDonnell had replied: ‘Villain. Tonypandy.’
This was a reference to the Welsh mining vilchill lage where Churchill ordered in troops to help police quell riots in 1910. The then home secretary sent 200 Metropolitan Police officers into Tonypandy, while a detachment of Lancashire Fusiliers was held in reserve in Cardiff.
The soldiers were eventually sent on to the streets of the Rhondda Valley village to control striking miners who had vandalised town centre shops and mine-owners’ property.
Around 80 police and more than 500 civilians were injured in the disturbances. The move left behind much bad feeling towards Churchill in the area, although it was largely forgotten after he led Britain to victory over the Nazis.
Last night a string of politicians reacted angrily to the remarks. Mr Johnson said: ‘Winston Churchill saved this country and the whole of Europe from a barbaric fascist and racist tyranny, and our debt to him is incalculable.
‘If John McDonnell had the slightest knowledge of history he would be aware that Churchill also had an extraordinary record as a social reformer who cared deeply for working people. John McDonnell should be utterly ashamed of his remarks and should withdraw them forthwith.’
Sir Nicholas added: ‘It’s an extraordinarily stupid thing to say. I don’t think anyone who knows ... anything about my grandfather would agree.
‘I don’t think my grandfather’s reputation is going to be damaged at all by some third-rate Poundland Lenin.’ Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘Winston Churwas Britain’s greatest war hero. To blacken his name is a disgrace.’
Labour MP Ian Austin also defended Churchill, saying: ‘I have no hesitation in describing [him] not only as a hero but as the greatest ever Briton, who motivated the British people to defeat fascism, fighting not just for our country’s liberty but for the world’s freedom too.’
The Left has long used Tonypandy in attempts to slur Churchill’s name.
A memo written by the wartime prime minister setting out his position at the time showed he was reluctant to send in troops, despite requests for them from the chief constable of Glamorgan.
The town was eventually reinforced with 400 policemen, a company of the Lancashire Fusiliers and a squadron of the 18th Hussars. Churchill sent a memo to Alfred Gardiner, editor of The Daily News, disputing claims he had authorised troops to open fire.
It read: ‘My dear Gardiner, give no credence to such rubbish. I do not anticipate any shooting and have taken some responsibility to that end – which Liberal newspapers should recognise.’
In recent years, Churchill’s legacy has come under repeated attack by the hard Left, which accuses him of being a racist. Last year, students went to the Blighty UK cafe in Finsbury Park, North London, which features a lifesize Churchill figure in its garden. They chanted: ‘We have nothing to lose but our chains’ and ‘Churchill was a racist’.