On Wednesday, a London church congregation settled down for a festive service. The attendees were surprised and indeed tickled to receive a reading from No. 10’s deputy press secretary, Beatrice Timpson. It appears the vicar decided to have a joke at the government’s expense…

The punchline, “No room for them in the inn,” failed to land. In Britain, the Government would have spent £6.8 millipn a day to put Mary and Joseph up in a five-star hotel for as long as they want…