Winston Churchill: hero or war criminal? | James Heappey

The Department for Education has issued guidance to teachers, asking them avoid using material from campaigning organisations, such as Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Stonewall that may have “partisan political views”.

It also advises teachers on how to “tackle sensitive issues in a politically impartial way."

Insiders of the Department for Education cited furores over lesson plans that posed the question: “Winston Churchill: hero or war criminal?”

Speaking to Aasmah Mir & Stig Abell, armed forces minister James Heappey said: "That's an interesting question.

"It sticks in my craw, but maybe I'm, I don't know, maybe I'm sort of overly patriotic and I think there is no harm at all in, as part of your study of history, to ask yourselves provocative questions as a vehicle for seeing both sides of an argument."

He added: "If it's a provocative question to encourage people to explore both sides of an argument and to encourage people to think beyond what is the kind of widely held view of one of our nation's greatest leaders, I'm all for it.

"If it's a vehicle for sort of revisionism and to try and sort of, you know, promote the idea that Churchill was something other than what we regard him as then I'm sort of uncomfortable because that's a political agenda."

The armed forces minister also gave an update about the situation at the Ukraine border, explaining that Russia's claims of withdrawal "could be a big elaborate hoax to leverage a seat at a diplomatic negotiating table."

Listen to James Heappey's interview in full.

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