Defence Secretary sends UK personnel sacrificing family time at Christmas 'simple' thank you message
The Defence Secretary has paid tribute to the UK Armed Forces personnel deployed away from home this Christmas.
Almost 7,000 members of the Armed Forces will be deployed overseas, while many more will be spending the festive day on operations in the UK.
UK personnel are serving on 40 operations in 30 countries this month, sacrificing time with their families to keep Britain safe.
In a video message posted to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Grant Shapps said: "The men and women of our Armed Forces protect our nation every single day - and that includes over Christmas.
"With 7,000 personnel currently deployed overseas and sacrificing time at home over Christmas to keep every British family safe.
"My message to them is simple: Thank You."
His message follows that of the Prime Minister, who has praised the "brilliant" Armed Forces in a special Christmas message.
"In a dangerous world, I've seen how you're working alongside our allies around the clock for the good of us all," Mr Sunak said.
The leader of the Labour Party has thanked British troops stationed near the Russian border for acting as a "beacon of hope and freedom this Christmas".
Sir Keir Starmer said "the defence of the UK starts in Ukraine", adding that Britain has seen what happens "when politics goes soft on Putin".
During his visit to Estonia he praised Britain's Armed Forces for "standing tall in the face of Putin's aggression" amidst "dark clouds of conflict and instability".
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