"I'd Drink It!"

One of the great British political rivalries was that between Churchill and Lady Astor in the 1930s.

Both were members of the Conservative Party, but that was all they had in common. In 1938, the issue was what to do with Hitler's Germany. Churchill labeled the Munich accords a disaster; but Lady Astor along with most of the party disagreed, believing that war should be avoided at almost any cost.

And their disputes became personal.

Lady Astor: "Winston, if I were your wife I'd put poison in your coffee."
Winston: "Nancy, if I were your husband I'd drink it."

From the Churchill Centre:

This exchange is sometimes attributed to Winston's good friend F.E. Smith, but in Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan's The Glitter and the Gold she writes that the exchange occurred at Blenheim when her son was host. See also the American edition of Martin Gilbert's In Search of Churchill (not in the British edition). In Nancy: The Life of Lady Astor, Christopher Sykes confirms Consuelo Balsan's account. "It sounds like an invention but is well authenticated. [Churchill] and the Astors were staying with Churchill's cousin, the Duke of Marlborough, at Blenheim Palace. Nancy and Churchill argued ferociously throughout the weekend."