Communities secretary Michael Gove announced that UK ministers and officials were to be banned from contact with groups labelled 'extremist'. The definition of 'extremist' was woolly but it was said that officials should consider whether a group maintains “public confidence in government” before working with it. Supporters of Scottish independence raised an eyebrow. In a separate story, a businessman who donated £15million to the conservatives made racist and misogynistic comments about Diane Abbott.