Just one in 400 Syrian refugees given asylum in the UK last year were Christians despite them being subjected to "horrendous persecution". A Freedom of Information request found just 11 of those admitted to Britain under the Government's flagship Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme (VPRS) were Christian. This is despite an estimated 10 per cent of the Syrian population being Christian at the start of the civil war. The number of Christians granted asylum by Britain has slumped considerably since 2016, when 1.5 per cent were Christians.

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Last year that percentage dropped to just 0.23 - amounting to 11 of the 4,832 Syrians who were resettled in the UK. James Dobson, Senior Researcher at Bright Blue, which carried out the research, said: "Christians are being subjected to horrendous persecution in Syria. "Yet, the figures revealed by Bright Blue today show the Government is failing to offer sufficient Syrian Christians safe harbour in Britain. "Prior to the Syrian civil war, 10 per cent of Syrians were forecast to be Christian. "To ensure fair, not special, treatment for Syrian Christians, the Government should commit to 10% of Syrian refugees admitted to the UK through the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme being Christian." Bright Blue, a liberal Conservative think tank, has previously called for the Government to ensure that at least 10% of the Syrian refugees that are taken in under the UK's Vulnerable Person Relocation Scheme are Christians. This would mean that Christians from Syria are receiving fair, not special, treatment in the UK's refugee system. Prince Charles is among a number of high profile people who have spoken out about the persecution of Christians in the middle east. In a moving speech in December, the heir to the throne spoke of his "heartbreak" at the situation, and called on believers in the UK to step up their response to the crisis. Saying Christians in Syria, Iraq and other countries faced "troubled times" and "desperate trials", he urged prayers for those "forced to leave their homes in the face of the most brutal persecution on account of their faith". In a service at St Barnabas Church, Pimlico, the future royal said he was "profoundly shocked" at the levels of abuse faced by Christians, adding: "It is heartbreaking beyond words to see just how much pain and suffering is being endured by Christians, in this day and age, simply because of their faith." The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has previously spoken of the unprecedented risks facing Christians. He said: "War has taken away tens of thousands of lives and left millions of people homeless and without the means for existence. "The historic centre of the Christian Church in the Middle East has never felt so threatened. The increasing integration of Muslim communities within British society, in which we rejoice, is in stark contrast to the increasing marginalisation of and outright hostility to Christian communities within many parts of the world. "It would not be over-stating matters to say that Christianity is both the numerically largest faith and the most persecuted." Calling for faith communities to "step up" and "hold governments to account", he added: "Wide-scale humanitarian aid is needed for those who are suffering and for the vast numbers of refugees, including those who have ended up in Europe and America...The post-war rebuilding of Syria is a topic of utmost importance for practical co-operation between Christians in the coming years."