“Let us take pride in our Christian heritage,” Prime Minister Theresa May has said in her Christmas message.

In an address that stressed the role of the emergency services and volunteers, the Prime Minister thanked “all those whose service to others means they will be spending time away from their loved ones this Christmas.”

She also praised the Churches Together initiative, an ecumenical organisation that brings together the vast majority of Christian denominations in Britain.

“As we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us celebrate all those selfless acts – and countless others – that epitomise the values we share: Christian values of love, service and compassion that are lived out every day in our country by people all faiths and none. “Let us take pride in our Christian heritage and the confidence it gives us to ensure that in Britain you can practice your faith free from question or fear. “Let us remember those around the world today who have been denied those freedoms from Christians in some parts of the Middle East to the sickening persecution of the Rohingya Muslims.