James O'Brien attacks notion 'Dunkirk spirit' is needed to make a success of Brexit

When Christopher Nolan started directing Dunkirk, it is unlikely he would have known Brexiteers would attempt to co-opt and politicise the film for their own gain and tout it as an example of why Britain needs to leave the European Union. After all, Britain had not yet voted to exit the bloc when he was just halfway through making the World War II blockbuster.

But regardless of Nolan’s intentions, the war epic has won over the hearts and minds of Brexit voters. Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage even posted a photo of himself looking deliberately sombre next to a poster for the film imploring “youngsters” to go and watch it.

His supporters chimed in to argue that if everyone watches the film they will instantaneously understand why 51.9 per cent of voters opted for Britain to cut its ties with the continent. In a similar vein, Telegraph columnist, Allison Pearson, argued that for Brexit to work, we need “Dunkirk spirit” not “Naysaying Nellies”.

But James O’Brien has challenged the notion Britain’s exit from the European Union is somehow inextricably linked to Dunkirk. The LBC presenter, who has become famed for his on-air clashes with members of the public over Brexit, argued the idea Britain needs the “Dunkirk spirit” to make Brexit a success is founded on historical ignorance.

Addressing listeners on his show, he said: "People that told us it was going to be easy and enriching and the most natural and liberating thing in history are now saying you need the spirit of Dunkirk to get through it.”

He continued: "Dunkirk. Described by Churchill as a disaster. And you have now or the idea that we have to invoke the spirit of Dunkirk to get through something that was supposed to be really easy and make us richer.

"But again you know I'm just the lonely weathervane pointing at reality, while everybody else is chomping on nonsense. Think about that for a minute why would you want to invoke the spirit of Dunkirk – the evacuation of French beaches undertaken as the result of incredibly chaotic scenes."

The evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk has been deemed a miracle by the history books. The evacuation, known as the Miracle of Dunkirk and by its code name of Operation Dynamo, during World War II saw 338,226 trapped men rescued from the beaches in just nine days in 1940.

The journalist, who is also a presenter on Newsnight, added: "The idea that the same people who told you that this thing was going to be brilliant are now telling you that actually we need to be a bit like we were when we undertook the biggest military evacuation in the history of Britain. Eh?

"Well hang on, either it's brilliant or it's a bit like the biggest military evacuation in the history of the United Kingdom. Which one is it?

"Because if we need to invoke the spirit of Dunkirk, that's about retreating, that's about stepping away from a mess, that is about fleeing, hopefully to return? So what's that got to do with Brexit?"

“Next time you hear somebody telling you that we need to invoke the spirit of Dunkirk to get through Brexit they are the same people that told you Brexit was going to be a pile of chips.”