Mark Andrews – Jeremy takes on the trolls, and inclusive banking

Good for Mr Vine, and I commend him on his restraint. He would be well within his rights to sue every one of these idiots who falsely accused him on Twitter for far more than £1,000 a time.

Social media platforms are awash with idiots who think they can say whatever they like, regularly throwing around wild claims of 'backhanders' and 'corruption' every time a planning decision goes the wrong way.

Making unproven allegations about innocent people on social media is no less libellous than printing them in a newspaper. And exactly the same laws apply to Andy Plumb on Twitter as they do to The Sun.

If Mr Plumb's expensive mistake reminds one or two keyboard warriors that libel laws apply to them too, that is no bad thing.

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It appears that toffs' bank Coutts has closed Nigel Farage's bank account on the basis that his views do not accord with its 'inclusive' values.

According to Coutts' internal report, Farage's crimes include retweeting a clip by Ricky Gervais, holding 'Thatcherite' views, and being friends with tennis star Novak Djokjovic.

So let's get this right. Coutts welcomes anybody, regardless of their background, providing they have liberal progressive views, and a minimum of £3 million in savings.

Very inclusive.

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By the way, Coutts has recently signed up to a corporate scheme which vows to tackle 'racism, transphobia, xenophobia and classism'.

But obviously not irony.

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And those feeling schadenfreude at Farage's plight should realise he is just the high-profile tip of a sinister new iceberg.

Less well-known victims include The Rev Richard Fothergill, who had his Yorkshire Building Society account cancelled for giving the wrong answers in one of those tedious customer-service questionnaires, and Scottish independence campaigner Stuart Campbell who discovered his First Direct account had been closed when his card was declined at Sainsbury's.

This comes at a time when the trend towards a cashless society – typified by the closure of rail booking offices – is handing unprecedented power to these unaccountable organisations.

Last time I went into my bank, I stood 20 minutes in a queue while staring at giant posters about its own 'inclusive values' – before eventually being seen by a man wearing a uniform. I bet that's just what it was like in the Soviet Union.