Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has branded Winston Churchill a "villain".
The Labour frontbencher made the comment in reference to the the way Mr Churchill dealt with striking Welsh miners while home secretary in 1910.
Mr Churchill's decision to send troops to support police quelling riots in Tonypandy has long been a subject of historical debate.
In a question and answer session with the Politico website, Mr McDonnell was asked: "Winston Churchill, hero or villain?"
The shadow chancellor said: "Tonypandy - villain".
Mr Churchill ordered 200 Metropolitan Police officers into Tonypandy, with a detachment of Lancashire Fusiliers held in reserve in Cardiff.
The soldiers were eventually called into the Rhondda Valley village to help deal with the situation.
The wartime leader, who was later knighted, was voted the greatest Briton in a BBC poll in 2002.
Reporting by Press Association.
