Festive faces for Camerons' Christmas card

Nothing says Christmas like a young boy disguised as a union flag. That's the message David Cameron is apparently seeking to convey through his annual seasonal card, the design of which was released by Downing Street. Taken at a street party outside No 10 on the day of the royal wedding, the photograph shows the prime minister and his wife Samantha with two young children, one of whom has his face painted red, white and blue. Its message, observers may conclude, is strikingly similar to that which the PM delivered to his fellow European leaders in Brussels on Thursday evening: tidings of comfort and joy, with an assertively British face. By contrast, the photograph chosen by Ed Miliband – like Cameron's, taken by the award-winning PA photographer Stefan Rousseau – is a relaxed family grouping with his wife Justine Thornton and children Daniel and Samuel. As previously, Nick Clegg sent a card designed by two of his sons, in which Antonio, nine, and Alberto, seven, wished for "no homework" and "sweets" respectively.