Well, their claim to considering legal action always looked to me like a bit of positioning. I highly doubt they have a legal claim against the BBC. More likely, those mosques have a legal claim against PE don’t they?

On the other point, it’s quite clear that Policy Exchange’s defense is falling apart. That makes seven mosques where the evidence behind the report’s naming and shaming has either been apparently fabricated, inconclusive or where the truth has been liberally stretched. If they had any sense they’d retract the whole thing now before their claims to be seeking legal action turn into the lawyers being sent after them.

“We would like to make clear that the bookshop situated near the East London Mosque (“Lessons in hate found at leading mosques” and “Studies in hate”, October 30) is a commercial tenant of the Mosque and is situated on different premises. The chairman of the Mosque, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, has no responsibility for or control over the material that is being sold there. We apologise to Dr Bari for any distress caused.”

So if anti-semitic literature was being sold by a commercial tenant of the Church of England that would be fine, would it? Just an ordinary arms-length kind of thing. No need to worry.