COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Employees at the Department of Energy and Climate Change have received advice on keeping their festive greetings 'politically correct'



Staff at a Government department have been urged to avoid writing the words “Merry Christmas” in seasonal email greetings to avoid upsetting anyone.

Instead, employees at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have reportedly been advised to stick to the more neutral term “Seasons Greetings”.

In a memo circulated around the department, recipients were also warned that images on their e-cards should not feature skin, according to The Sun.

The message, destined to bring accusations of cancelling Christmas raining down on the department, read: "As an organisation of multiple faiths and agnostics serving a community of the same and in the interest of inclusion, I'd avoid images with skin."

John O'Connell from the TaxPayers' Alliance told the newspaper: "This is tinsel-wrapped idiocy. Christmas is expensive enough for families without subsidising a civil servant to think up politically correct claptrap."