Gordon Brown’s ludicrous refusal to speak the truth about Britain’s enemies is a direct result of the European Union’s craven policy of preemptive appeasement: Terror-spooked EU: ‘Don’t say Muslims’.

Gordon Brown’s ban on the word “Muslim” in relation to terrorism can be blamed on the EU.

The prime minister has told Cabinet members not to mention “Muslim” and “terrorism” in the same breath.

It comes after the European Commission issued a guide for government spokesmen to avoid offence by ruling out the words such as “jihad”, “Islamic” or “fundamentalist” in statements about terrorist attacks.

It has been working with governments to make sure “non-offensive” phrases are used when announcing anti-terrorist operations or dealing with terrorist attacks.

It is not the first time the EU has tackled the issue of language - last year its guidelines suggested that the phrase “terrorists who abusively invoke Islam” should be used rather than “Islamic terrorism”.