Our heroes

STRIKES have divided the country.

Some believe the Government should pay NHS staff whatever they want. ­

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Others say the Government has to be sensible about what Britain can afford.

Some, like Labour frontbencher John Healey, claim Tory ministers are deliberately “grinding our country to a halt”.

Why would they?

You know our view on the strikes: They are wrong in a country already on its knees and with our finances destroyed by Covid and war.

What surely unites us all, bar a few hard-Left cranks, is our admiration for the troops who have stepped in to drive ambulances and check passports to keep Britain going at Christmas.

Some even say our airports have run more smoothly!

The Sun called for a bonus for our forces who had to rip up their own festive plans and we’re delighted they’ve got it.

We just wish it was more than £20 a day.

If anyone deserves a decent bung, they do.

Data ‘peril’

BRITAIN is right to be increasingly circumspect about Chinese investment in UK firms.

And defence contracts must surely be out of bounds entirely.

China is a wicked tyranny which destroyed freedom in Hong Kong, steals and hacks around the world and enslaved a million Muslims.

It is Russia’s ally and threatening to invade Taiwan.

Its sinister communist government forces Chinese firms to reveal any data they hold.

So we should worry when a UK contractor funded by Chinese money is handed the personal details of our troops, including — incredibly — the famously secretive SAS.

The firm, Pinnacle Group, insists it is squeaky clean. The MoD too says relevant Pinnacle staff are security-vetted.

Fine. Let’s hope they’re right.

A leak to Beijing could be catastrophic.

Merry Xmas

A YEAR ago tomorrow the Queen spoke prophetically of “passing the baton” to younger Royals.

It was her 69th and last Christmas Day address.

How strange it will seem at 3pm for her not to be on our TVs.

For her son Charles to be taking up her baton and delivering his first Christmas Day speech.

How poignant, too, that he has chosen to do so at the spot in St George’s Chapel where his mother was laid to rest.

And how comforting many will find his words near the end of this historic year of grief and global tumult — albeit with some moments of triumph and joy.

Let’s hope, for tomorrow at least, we can forget the former and focus on the latter.

To all of you, from all of us here at The Sun . . . have a fabulous Christmas.

You deserve it after the year we’ve had.