David Cameron uses Christmas speech to thank armed forces, doctors, nurses, carers and volunteers working over festive period
David Cameron has used his Christmas message to praise the UK's armed forces engaged in airstrikes against Islamic State (Isis).
The Prime Minister thanked "our brave armed forces [who] are doing their duty" both "in the skies of Iraq and Syria" and "on the ground, helping to bring stability to countries from Afghanistan to South Sudan".
"It is because they face danger that we have peace," Cameron said.
"If there is one thing people want at Christmas, it’s the security of having their family around them and a home that is safe," he added. "But not everyone has that. Millions of families are spending this winter in refugee camps or makeshift shelters across Syria and the Middle East, driven from their homes by Daesh and Assad.
"As a Christian country, we must remember what [Jesus'] birth represents: peace, mercy, goodwill and, above all, hope. I believe that we should also reflect on the fact that it is because of these important religious roots and Christian values that Britain has been such a successful home to people of all faiths and none."
Cameron also paid tribute to "the thousands of doctors, nurses, carers and volunteers who give up their Christmas to help the vulnerable".