Welcome to Texas-on-Thames

As might be expected of a UK-hosted conference on freedom of religion and belief, the text of an official statement has been edited after the participants signed it. Since the lesser breeds are notoriously prone to language problems along with their moral laxity, the original's commitment to repeal laws which "allow harmful practices, or restrict women's and girls' ... sexual and reproductive health and rights, bodily autonomy" was quietly removed from the text. More than twenty countries signed the original, which was clearly far too many; the streamlined version has whittled down the signatories to an élite half-dozen, including the priest-ridden island of Malta. By a happy coincidence, the special envoy for Britain's recently-converted and famously reproductive Catholic prime minister was Fiona Bruce MP, who is co-chair of a parliamentary group dedicated to the promotion of the coathanger industry.