The resurrection of Winston Churchill

IN A country led by the weak and wobbly, a hulking figure from the past looms larger than ever. “Forward, Together”, the title of Theresa May’s election manifesto, was borrowed from Winston Churchill’s first speech as prime minister in the House of Commons in 1940. Fans of Jeremy Corbyn claim that the crowds at Labour’s rallies were as big as those drawn by the British Bulldog. Liberal Democrats can choose to put a photo of him on their party membership card—never mind that he spent most of his career representing the Conservatives.

Churchill has been invoked on both sides of the Brexit debate. Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary and bestselling biographer of “the greatest statesman this country has produced in the last 200 years, if not ever”, opined that Churchill “would definitely campaign for us to leave”. David Cameron noted that he “argued passionately for western Europe to come together” after the second world war, making him a Remainer. And Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit point-man, stated that Leavers had “squandered Churchill’s legacy”.