As part of the events marking the centenary of World War I, he delivered a lecture on "Politics and the First World War" in May 2015, and in November that year, together with fellow MP Adam Holloway, he wrote to all members of the House of Commons welcoming the proposal to bomb ISIL/DAESH – rather than the Syrian Government forces – as a "step in the right direction", but opposing any air campaign in the absence of a realistic strategy on the ground.