Louise Davies, director of the Labour-affiliated Christians on the Left movement, spoke of optimism despite her party failing to make a breakthrough.

She said: “[I’m] really encouraged by the number of Christians standing this year across all the parties – men and women endeavouring to be light and salt in their councils – so [I’m] very encouraged by what I’m seeing.”

Labour took seized control of Plymouth from the Conservatives but lost Bedworth, Derby and Nuneaton. The party also failed to cause predicted upsets in the London boroughs of Wandsworth, Westminster and Kensington.

Louise Davies reflected: “Maybe, they [Labour bosses] were riding on the back of a good general election result and thinking ‘we can turn London red’ but, maybe, they were too ambitious.”

The Conservatives appeared to benefit most from a slump in support for Ukip. The party also gained control of Basildon, Peterborough and Southend but lost control of Trafford in the North West.

Head of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, Gareth Wallace also told Premier of his excitement at seeing fresh Christian candidates sweep to victory.

He said: “Lots of people who were relatively new to politics – some standing as first-time candidates, some people who come through our Conservative Christian Fellowship Impact Leadership course -have been elected which is amazing…”

Reflecting on the nationwide…

Donald Trump praised the role of faith in inspiring the nation’s commitment to charity and liberty during an address observing the annual National Day of Prayer.

Speaking before reporters and religious leaders in the landmark’s Rose Garden, he said: “We are proud of our religious heritage.

“And as President, I will always protect religious liberty. We’ve been doing it…”

The US leader also signed an executive order he said would guarantee “equal access” to federal government funding for religious groups

The 71-year-old said the new measure would also grant religiously-affiliated groups “equal right to exercise their deeply held beliefs”.

He explained: “The faith initiative will help design new policies that recognise the vital role of faith in our families, our communities, and our great country.

#NationalDayOfPrayer pic.twitter.com/nFUc3uyQL8

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018

“This office will also help ensure that faith-based organizations have equal access to government funding and the equal right to exercise their deeply held beliefs.

“We take this step because we know that, in solving the many, many problems and our great challenges, faith is more powerful than government, and nothing is more powerful than God.”

He was joined on the grounds of the White House by Cissie Graham – the granddaughter of Billy Graham, US Catholic leader Cardinal…

The Corporation also apologised to relatives of Fr John Gerard after the ‘Elizabeth I’s Secret Agents’ programme said he gave the conspiracy “God’s blessing”.

In a letter seen by the Daily Telegraph, bosses said that “presenting his foreknowledge as settled fact was seriously misleading”.

The BBC Two documentary, which was made by 72 Films and was first aired last October, shall be altered before it is re-broadcast.

The admission comes after the priests’ ten times-great nephew, Michael Maslinski, complained to the BBC and argued for the Jesuit’s innocence.

‘Elizabeth I’s Secret Agents’ states that Guy Fawkes and his fellow co-conspirators met Fr Gerard in London before the plot which was foiled better it could be realised.

He was quoted by the Telegraph as saying: “John Gerard has been revered in my family for 400 years… To see him represented as a terrorist was shocking”.

A previous complaint of a similar nature levelled by Mr Maslinkski against the BBC One drama ‘Gunpowder’ was dismissed by the Corporation on the grounds of dramatic licence.

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Student groups in recent years have faced increasing scenarios of ‘no-platforming’, often from fellow students, over external speakers with views considered extreme or offensive. This has often affected Jewish speakers, Christian guests but also feminists like Germaine Greer.  

Sam Gyimah, the government’s Universities Minister met university and student groups on Thursday to announce that there would be a new set of guidelines which would protect free speech on campus.

He said it would be wrong to silence “unfashionable or unpopular” opinions and that he would propose that the Department of Education should write some new guidelines to “provide clarity”. 

Gyimah added: “There is a risk that overzealous interpretation of a dizzying variety of rules is acting as a brake on legal free speech on campus.”

Speaking about this announcement, Simone Ramacci, a chaplaincy intern at the University of Essex told Premier: “I would say that it’s not really possible to say whether these measures are good or not until they come out”

Ramacci said the University of Essex had not had any problems and that: “as long as people are able to find ways to witness to people that work in the current cultural setting this is a very minor issue that is limited to a very few topics.”

He said these can be: “topics such as LGBT issues or termination of pregnancy issues…