One down...

Race hate preacher Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal, who influenced one of the 7 July bombers, has been deported from Britain, the home secretary said.

He left Gatwick for Jamaica at 1200 BST, accompanied by two police escorts and an immigration officer.

Al-Faisal, who is of Jamaican origin, lost his appeal against deportation.

He was jailed in 2003 for soliciting the murder of Jews and Hindus. London bomber Germaine Lindsay was "strongly influenced" by him, John Reid said.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Reid said he was pleased that al-Faisal, 43, had been removed and excluded from the UK.

He said: "We are committed to protecting the public and have made it clear that foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality and break our laws can expect to be deported after they have served a prison sentence.

"We will not tolerate those who seek to spread hate and fear in our communities."

Two words: Anjem Choudhary.

Anyway, Faisal's deportation is good news. But we shouldn't imagine that it will change a thing. The problems with Islam in this country are not limited, as is frequently alleged, to the misbehaviour of a "tiny minority of extremists". Rather, they are endemic features of the religion. But Faisal was one of the more evil and dangerous nutters, so it's good to see him go.