Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn praise NHS and public workers in Christmas messages
3 min read
Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn have paid tribute to NHS and other public sector workers in their annual Christmas messages to the public.
In Mr Johnson’s first festive statement as Prime Minister, he wished everyone a “merry little Christmas” and thanked the police, armed forces, NHS staff and others for working over the holiday period.
The Prime Minister also used the message to highlight the persecution of Christians worldwide.
“For them, Christmas Day will be marked in private, in secret, perhaps even in a prison cell,” he said.
“As Prime Minister, that’s something I want to change. We stand with Christians everywhere, in solidarity, and will defend your right to practice your faith. So as a country let us reflect on the year, and celebrate the good that is to come.”
And on a light-hearted end to his message, he joked: “Try not to have too many arguments with the in-laws, or anyone else.”
Meanwhile the Labour leader, in what is likely to be his last Christmas message, admitted it has been “a difficult year for many of us” while he praised those helping at food banks and emergency shelters.
Mr Corbyn, reflecting on his party’s damning election defeat, said: “We didn’t succeed in delivering the change that so many people so desperately need.
“But Christmas is a chance to listen, reflect and remember all the things that bind us together, our compassion, our determination to tackle injustice and our hope for a better world.”
The Islington North MP also said Christmas revealed “the scale of injustice and inequality”, adding: “While we celebrate being together, we are reminded of the many who will be alone and sadly lonely at Christmas, but our communities are built on generosity and the solidarity that comes from that. So we do not walk by on the other side.”
Meanwhile, Lib Dem acting leader Ed Davey said as a Christian he wanted to deliver a message of “hope, joy and love” on Christmas eve.
“It’s to celebrate the real message of Christmas,” he said.
“What could possibly represent hope, joy and love better – than a new born baby.
“When I held my first child, in the crook of my arm in Kingston Hospital, just minutes after he’d been born, that was the first time I really understood how my own father and mother must have loved me.
“So you don’t actually have to believe in Jesus to recognise that for Christians, Christmas has a deep, profound meaning.”
He also urged for everyone to love all their neighbours, ending with: “Even those who believe in unicorns."
Following a turbulent year in politics and within the Royal Family, the Queen is expected to use her Christmas message on 25 December to acknowledge 2019 has been "quite bumpy", but that "small steps" can heal divisions.
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