Baroness Foster used a powerful Churchill quote in the House of Lords to warn against what she described as the government’s weak response to radical Islamism and Islamist intimidation.
Quoting Churchill, she said: “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it’ll eat him last.”
Her message was direct: appeasement does not make a society safer. It encourages extremists, rewards intimidation, and leaves ordinary citizens exposed while political leaders pretend that avoidance is the same as strength.
Foster argued that the government’s response has been too timid, too defensive, and too unwilling to confront the ideological roots of the threat. Instead of standing firmly for British values, free speech, public order, and the safety of citizens, officials too often appear afraid to name the problem clearly.