Keir Starmer has denied breaking lockdown rules after it emerged he had a face-to-face acting lesson with a voice coach on Christmas Eve 2020 when London was under strict Covid restrictions.
The Church of England has told clergy in Birmingham to watch out for "problematic words" in Christmas carols that imply Jesus is the "true Messiah" or other religions aren't valid. And they wonder why the pews are empty.
Experts have issued an urgent call for lockdown-style social distancing ahead of Christmas Day amid surging flu infections, claiming that a fifth of those infected have no symptoms but can spread it.
At Christmas time, Dr David Bell reflects on what has true value in this world, the limits of science to tell us what that is and what a baby in a manger might have to say about it.
The BBC is under pressure to play a Christmas number one contender parodying Keir Starmer’s winter fuel cuts by 'Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers'.
China has cancelled Christmas in Hong Kong this year. Officials have ordered that the usual celebrations be 'toned down'. It's part of a creeping intolerance that leaves churches fearing for the future, says John MacNab.
A school faces backlash from parents after it said it removed all Christmas references from a pantomime performance for pupils and parents to make them feel "safe and valued".
The Covid lockdowns turned Boris Johnson into Oliver Cromwell, making him only the second British leader to have cancelled Christmas, Conservative leadership candidate James Cleverly has said.
Steven Tucker recalls the Christmases of the pandemic years, when disturbing 'Covid-safe' Santas, sporting face masks and pushing vaccines, stalked the land and haunted children's dreams.
Scrooge is everywhere at this time of year as the archetypal Christmas miser. But on some issues, like immigration, it's ultimately not kind to be anything other than Scrooge-like, says Steven Tucker.
