material had been forged, and that some of the material had come from bookshops purportedly unconnected to the mosques named in the report. Policy Exchange's rebuttal maintained that the receipts were not mentioned in the report, and that the report's findings were not dependent on them. On 15 August 2008, The Independent reported that two mosques mentioned in the report, the Al-Manar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre and the North London Central Mosque, were preparing to take legal action against Policy Exchange. Subsequently, the Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, following a clarification but no apology from Policy Exchange, withdrew its threatened legal complaint. Godson's work on combating extremism was praised in a speech in 2014 by the then UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, calling it “incredibly important” and stating it "has had a huge influence". In April 2017, Godson published a lengthy article on the ConservativeHome website, setting out Policy Exchange's call for evidence on the contingency plans needed in the event that the UK is unable to secure a deal with the EU when it leaves the bloc. ConservativeHome's editor, Paul Goodman, called this “a thought-provoking list of questions... Policy Exchange is early out of the traps seeking answers”. In February 2020, the Conservative broadcaster Iain Dale described Policy Exchange as "the pre-eminent think tank in the Westminster village" in an article on ConservativeHome, noting that, "Dean Godson, who has been the Director of Policy Exchange since 2013, has skilfully led Policy Exchange through three different Conservative administrations in a way that other think tanks can only marvel at. The softly-spoken Godson is often thought of as an ideological right winger, yet his pragmatism has enabled Policy Exchange to reach new heights of influence, with dozens of its alumni now sitting on the Conservative benches in Parliament." In November 2020, Godson awarded the inaugural Grotius Prize – named after the founding father of international law – to the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, "in recognition of his work in support of the international rules based order", in a live online event. References Bibliography External links Policy Exchange Profile Dean Godson of Policy Exchange grilled by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight Living people British male journalists British magazine editors Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge People educated at St Paul's School, London Life peers created by Elizabeth II People educated at Sussex House School 1962 births