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Militant atheists should "get over it" and accept that Britain is a Christian country, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has said.

Mr Pickles changed the law in 2012 to ensure that English parish councils could not face legal challenges for including prayers in public meetings, and has previously accused the former Labour government of "diminishing Christianity" by suggesting that religion and politics could not mix.

This weekend, he told delegates at the Conservative Spring Forum in London that non-believers should not be able to impose "politically correct intolerance" on others.

"I've stopped an attempt by militant atheists to ban councils having prayers at the start of meetings if they wish," said Mr Pickles.

"Heaven forbid. We're a Christian nation. We have an Established Church.

"Get over it. And don't impose your politically correct intolerance on others."

Mr Pickles also said that the Government had "backed British values" by stopping Whitehall from "appeasing extremism", whether it comes from the English Defence League, militant Islamists or "the thuggish hard left".

"They're all as bad as each other," he added.