Boris Johnson vows to defend persecuted Christians around the world and praises NHS and emergency services working through the holidays in his first Christmas message as PM
- PM said he wanted to remember those unable to celebrate the festival publicly
- He said his Government would ‘stand in solidarity’ with Christians everywhere
- Outside Number 10, he said he wanted to wish everyone a ‘merry little Christmas’
- PM also praised NHS workers and civil servants working through the holidays
Boris Johnson has vowed to defend persecuted Christians around the world and their ‘right to practise their faith’.
In his first Christmas message as Prime Minister, Mr Johnson said he wanted to remember those who were unable to celebrate the festival publicly or were jailed because of their religious beliefs.
He said his Government would ‘stand in solidarity’ with Christians everywhere.
In his first Christmas message as Prime Minister, Mr Johnson (pictured on Friday) said he wanted to remember those who were unable to celebrate the festival publicly or were jailed because of their religious beliefs
In a video filmed in front of a Christmas tree in Downing Street, Mr Johnson said he wanted to wish everyone a ‘merry little Christmas’.
He added: ‘It’s that special time of year when, whatever has gone before, we can take an opportunity to celebrate all that is good in the world and to spend time with our friends and family. I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful break with your loved ones, sharing gifts and tucking into some delicious food.’
In a video filmed in front of a Christmas tree in Downing Street, Mr Johnson said he wanted to wish everyone a ‘merry little Christmas’
The PM praised NHS workers, police and civil servants who are working through the holidays, and expressed his gratitude to members of the Armed Forces on deployments, and to their friends, family and children who have an ’empty chair at the table’.
He stressed the day’s religious significance, both in Britain and other countries: ‘Christmas Day is, first and foremost, a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a day of inestimable importance to billions of Christians.
Fashion hound
Boris Johnson’s fashionable dog Dilyn
A dog accessory business has been inundated with orders thanks to Boris Johnson’s pet Dilyn.
Kim O’Donnell, 58, who runs Staffordshire-based Leo, Charley and Me, sent No 10 a gift package for Dilyn consisting of a Christmas lead, collar and bandana. Dilyn wore the £40 set on polling day and now demand has soared.
Mrs O’Donnell said: ‘My creations were all over the news – it was incredible.’
‘Today of all days, I want us to remember those Christians around the world who are facing persecution.
‘For them, Christmas Day will be marked in private, in secret, perhaps even in a prison cell. As Prime Minister, that’s something I want to change.
‘We stand with Christians everywhere, in solidarity, and will defend your right to practise your faith.’
A Foreign Office report this year found that Christians are the ‘most persecuted’ religious group.
The study, by the Bishop of Truro Philip Mounstephen warned they were being driven out of the Middle East in a ‘modern day exodus’.
It revealed ‘shocking’ evidence that Christianity could be wiped out in parts of the world ‘where its roots go back furthest’.
Around 245million Christians suffer ‘high levels of persecution’ in 50 countries, a rise of 30million year on year, it found.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has also complained that the freedoms granted to Muslims in Britain are not matched by the treatment of Christians in the Middle East.
At Easter, a wave of suicide terror attacks on luxury hotels and churches in Sri Lanka killed nearly 300 people.
The Christmas message video will be posted on Mr Johnson’s Twitter feed and elsewhere on social media.