at the House of Commons, but it was now listening, and cheering." (However, Churchill himself subsequently held that many Conservative MPs had still regarded him with reserve and it was not until his speech of 4 July 1940 announcing British action against the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir that he could feel he had the full support of the whole House.) Other great speeches followed, including the "We shall fight on the beaches" speech of 4 June and the "This was their finest hour" speech of 18 June, and were a great inspiration and unifying force to Britain after its defeats in the first year of the war. Legacy On 26 April 2013, the Bank of England announced that beneath a portrait of Churchill the phrase "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." was to adorn the new 5-pound note. It was issued in September 2016. See also "We shall fight on the beaches" "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" References Further reading John Lukacs, Five Days in London: May 1940'' (Yale University, New Haven, 2001) is a good look at the political situation in the British government when Churchill made this speech External links The Churchill Centre: Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat, with a short introduction Transcription and MP3 recording 1940 in the United Kingdom World War II speeches British political phrases Quotations from military English-language idioms Speeches by Winston Churchill May 1940 events 1940 speeches 1940 in politics 1940s neologisms