Most British people don’t respond well to attempts to cow them. They refuse to be cowed! To allow oneself to be cowed would be cowardly. To do so would have one accused of cowardice, of being a coward.
I checked and apparently they have different etymologies, the verb "to cow" is from old Norse "kúga", to oppress), whereas "coward" comes from Old French "couard".
Sadly the UK is a favorite venue for oligarchs looking to silence critics, with feral law firms like Carter Ruck specializing in this tawdry business.
In the UK, the losing party usually pays the legal costs of the winning one, and libel litogation can cost millions, far exceeding whatever damages are awarded. Few newspapers or publishers can afford to defend such lawsuits.
You might examine, say: coworker. A word I never use (because I'm a Brit) but it looks to me like cow-orker.