It is not Shahid Malik’s willingness to meet the Moonies that should worry us most

Paul Waugh’s scoop about Shahid Malik agreeing to chair a meeting held at the Commons by the Moonies suggests that Malik—or his staff—should do a bit of research before agreeing to things. But far more worrying is what Dean Godson reveals in The Times this morning about Malik’s desire to attend Islam Expo even after Hazel Blears had ruled that it was inappropriate for any Minister to attend because of the platform being offered to those with extreme views:

“Shahid Malik, MP for Dewsbury, had other ideas and sought to attend in a personal capacity. He was persuaded not to attend Islam Expo only with the greatest difficulty – after heavy pressure from his departmental chief at International Development, Douglas Alexander, the Chief Whip and the Cabinet Secretary, who invoked Cabinet Office guidelines on engagement with Islamic groups.”