Iain Duncan Smith has been branded a “dunce” by a prominent historian, after he compared Brexit to the Reformation in a column extolling the benefits of leaving the EU.
In a comment piece for The Telegraph, the Tory MP argues the period in the 16th century when the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in Rome was “was the making of this country”.
He adds: “I believe Brexit is about us breaking from Rome again. It will become a release in a similar way and if the government believes in the incredible capacity of the British people, exemplified by their supreme entrepreneurial spirit, and sets our regulations and trade policy accordingly, the opportunities will be enormous.”
But a number of historians have taken issue with the comparison. Simon Schama, who knows a thing or two about history, labelled Duncan Smith a “dunce” who was “abus[ing] history in the name of their simple-minded prejudices”.
Historian Greg Jenner simply retweeted a picture of the article’s headline with the caption: “Stop the world, I want to get off.”
Another commentator pointed out that the Reformation made Duncan Smith’s Catholic religion illegal.
It’s not the first time Duncan Smith has prompted a reaction of disbelief for his views on Brexit – in April a former director of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) made fun of his “pie in the sky” Brexit plan.
Pascal Lamy, who led the body between 2005 and 2013, said customs checks would be needed between the UK and the EU if Britain left the single market and customs union as planned.
In an exchange on the BBC’s Politics Live programme on Monday, Duncan Smith argued “technology now means the idea of barriers and borders is long gone”.
The former Tory leader has said there are “alternative arrangements” to backstop that could be implemented to avoid the need for a hard border in Northern Ireland.
This week Duncan Smith also mocked Bank of England Governor Mark Carney’s stark warning about the affects of a no-deal Brexit, saying he had not moved on from the “Project Fear” tactics of the referendum campaign.