The London Evening Standard has been forced to retract its claims that Farah Damji’s book had been boycotted for review by the Spectator magazine because it was “rude about friends of Speccie’s head honcho, Andrew Neil”.

Today the Diary column pointed out that this was rejected as a “total fabrication” by its editor Matthew d’Ancona.

Andrew Neil told the London Evening Standard journalist: “I don’t know this women and have never met her. I have not seen the book and have no idea of its contents or know anything else about it. It therefore follows that I have no idea if it mentions anyone I know, in a scandalous context or otherwise.”

He added: “The author did e-mail me out of the blue to ask for a review (I think on Facebook). I told her that I did not get involved in such matters and that it was a matter for the literary editor and left it there. She replied with an abusive e-mail to which I did not retort. I did not mention the matter to the literary editor and that was the end of the matter as far as I was concerned.”

The Evening Standard apologised for any misunderstanding.

Farah Damji is also facing other issues at the moment.

Waterstones in Notting Hill was scheduled to host ‘An Evening with Farah Damji’ on 3rd September, but a spokesperson today told AIM Magazine that the event was postponed, “possibly indefinitely”.