EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Might Justin Welby be the last British Archbishop of Canterbury?

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Might Justin Welby be the last British Archbishop of Canterbury? 

Some overseas bishops are pressing for their next leader to reflect the diverse nature of the worldwide church. 

My source says: ‘The next archbishop could come from another part of the world. Instead of being selected by a clandestine secret committee of the Church of England, he could be elected by all Anglican bishops. 

'There is a working precedent. Although the Pope is Bishop of Rome, Italians don’t always have one of their own as Pope. The last three have been a Pole, a German and an Argentinian.’

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Some overseas bishops are pressing for their next leader to reflect the diverse nature of the worldwide church. A source suggests the next Welby could be elected by the bishops

Jeremy Corbyn’s Winchester and Oxford-educated communications chief, Seumas Milne, 57, controversially refused to answer questions about the IS terrorist Jihadi John unless reporters used his real name, Mohammed Emwazi. The late murderer’s IS comrades have no such qualms. Their magazine Dabiq’s two-page eulogy refers to him as ‘the mujahid who made headlines around the world as “Jihadi John”’.

TV narcissist Robert ‘It’s all about me’ Peston, 55, jumped ship from the BBC to ITV on director of television Peter Fincham’s watch, with the promise of a Sunday interview show. Now Fincham, 59 – like Peston, an ex-BBC man – is leaving his post. He’ll be succeeded by Kevin Lygo, 58, the former managing director of ITV Studios. ‘Kevin is considered to be less enamoured of Peston than Fincham was,’ according to an ITV source. ‘Will he “green light” Peston on Sunday? Obviously he’s under pressure to do so, but no one knows.’

TV narcissist Robert ‘It’s all about me’ Peston, 55, pictured, jumped ship from the BBC to ITV on director of television Peter Fincham’s watch, with the promise of a Sunday interview show

Foxy writer Kathy Lette, 57, observes: ‘Sarah Palin endorsing Donald Trump is like toxic waste endorsing the bubonic plague. Who is writing this script?’ 

Ms Lette’s own script usually has a Leftist perspective, as befits the wife of human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC, but the always-lively turn of phrase is her own.

Foxy writer Kathy Lette, 57, (pictured) observes: ‘Sarah Palin endorsing Donald Trump is like toxic waste endorsing the bubonic plague. Who is writing this script?'

The Hokey Cokey row rumbles on. To recap: Entertainer Gyles Brandreth suggested the ditty should become England’s new national anthem. Former royal broadcaster Michael Cole says this would be problematic since the Hokey Cokey ‘began as a parody of the Roman Catholic rite of holy communion’, meaning this ‘expression of religious intolerance and hatred makes it hardly suitable for uniting our nation’. Brandreth fires back: ‘Any link between the Hokey Cokey and “left-foot” anti-Popery mumbo-jumbo is at best tenuous. It’s a fun dance, a fine affirmation of life! The Hokey Cokey’s potential as England’s new national anthem is beginning to be realised.’

David Cameron is scheduled to receive the first edition of The Official Nelson Mandela Opus tribute book, weighing 40kg and running to 800 pages, on Monday. Former cell mates of the late South African president visit Downing Street for the occasion. Alas, they’ll arrive empty-handed. The tome has been delayed. ‘The Chinese president didn’t deliver his copy on time,’ explains a spokesman. Perhaps Xi Jinping hasn’t come to a settled view about Mandela as yet. When Chinese premier Zhou Enlai was asked in 1972 to assess the impact of the French Revolution (1789), he is said to have replied: ‘It’s too early to say.’