QUENTIN LETTS: Mr Gove was as elaborately courteous as a head waiter regretting that there isn’t any mint garnish on the petits-pois

Michael Gove, at his most buttery, fluttered to the despatch field and introduced anti-extremism guidelines for teams who’re given authorities cash. The thought was to scale back hatred. On this sense the minister’s Commons assertion was not an prompt success, for it made some MPs distinctly batey.

Imran Hussain (Lab, Bradford East), who could not essentially be certainly one of life’s P G Wodehouse fanatics, spluttered one thing a couple of ‘draconian Tory agenda of tradition wars’ and accused Mr Gove of ‘politicising an necessary concern’.

Brother Imran has by no means politicised a minority grievance in his profession! As can occur when this lumbering agitator vents forth, he forgot to take sufficient breath and was nearly wheezing by the top of his contribution. It was like listening to somebody who realises he has simply swallowed a blisteringly sizzling cocktail sausage.

Labour’s allure squad – the bombastic Burgons and barely creepy Slaughters of this world – tried to make all of it about Tory donors. The Authorities was appearing towards excessive Islamist and Nazi teams solely as a result of it was making an attempt to whip up aggro earlier than the final election and since it agreed with that Tory donor who was horrible about Diane Abbott.

The same line was taken by the Scots Nats’ frontbencher Alison Thewliss, such a mild-mannered, curtseying soul when she arrived right here 9 years in the past however now as warped off form as certainly one of Uri Geller’s fish knives. Possibly that is what Westminster does to you. Or possibly it is simply one thing you need to do to outlive within the not fully beautiful SNP.

Mr Gove deplored partisanship; did so, what’s extra, in an elaborately courteous method, like a head waiter regretting that there isn’t any mint garnish on the petits-pois. Nothing annoys zealots as a lot as politeness. The opposite night, I used to be chatting to Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg on the street when a passing youth threw some verbal mince his method. ‘Why, thanks a lot,’ murmured Sir Jacob. The youth stomped off in a good purpler rage.

George Galloway (Staff’ Get together, Rochdale) argued that ‘extremists’ have been generally pioneers of liberty. There was a former Speaker of the Commons, for example, who wore a ‘hold Nelson Mandela’ T-shirt in the identical period that Mr Galloway and his good friend Jeremy Corbyn (Ind, Islington N) have been opposing the apartheid regime in South Africa. Who was the true extremist in that equation?

Mr Gove cited ‘Milton’s Areopagitica’ as his inspiration. Mr Hussain’s nostril twitched. Then twitched a second time. Whoever Milton Whojermaflip was, Mr Hussain didn’t like the man. Was he a Tory donor?

Repeatedly Mr Gove stated his measures have been merely about stopping iffy outfits from receiving public cash. However why do we want a codified coverage to cease that? Is it as a result of civil servants will obey ministers provided that there’s revealed steering?

A number of Tories expressed doubts. Mark Logan (Bolton NE) was ‘fearful a couple of slippery slope’ towards free speech. Ditto Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) and the courageous Miriam Cates (Penistone and Stocksbridge).

‘Divisions should not be exploited for political acquire,’ averred James Sunderland (Con, Bracknell). How touching. However division is within the marrow of politics and nobody performs the sport extra filthily than the Left.

Dimwit shadow Commons chief Lucy Powell tried it earlier at enterprise questions. Penny Mordaunt, her reverse quantity, responded with a speech of sustained, imperious, pulverising aggression. Value watching on Parliament TV. Poor Powell. Every week it occurs. She should dread Thursdays. Time to your journey to the abattoir, Lucy.

For the third time this week the Commons was subjected to tributes to Tommy McAvoy, a someday Labour MP and Whip who ended up within the Home of Lords and has simply died. Ms Powell known as him ‘extremely revered and revered’. Er, the late Tommy was a infamous heavy, and menaced Labour MPs who dared query the get together line. Ms Mordaunt went via the motions in saluting this fallen warrior of the reality, however fairly spoilt it by calling him ‘Tony’.