Christian conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh has defended the spiritual importance of the King's coronation next year. 

Speaking in the House of Commons, the Gainsborough MP asked the Church Commissioners to maintain the link between the King and the Church of England when the coronation takes place in May 2023. 

He said: "By immemorial custom the coronation is a deeply religious and spiritual event.

"Will he convince us that the Church of England will use their influence to ensure that it remains as such, particularly the anointing, and it doesn't just degenerate into a kind of dumbed down woke-fest celebration of so-called modern Britain?"

Responding on behalf of the Church Commissioners, Conservative MP Andrew Selous said: "I can reassure him.

"The anointing of the monarch goes back to biblical times, recognising the outpouring of God's grace on us all, and a sovereign's covenant to give his life in service to his people and his God.

"It is the foundational principal underlying our constitutional settlement."

Buckingham Palace has already announced the ceremony will be "rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry" as well as "reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future".

Since then, several reports have emerged speculating the ceremony will be on a smaller scale in comparison to the late Queen's in 1953 and will be more inclusive of other faiths in the UK. 

During the exchange in Parliament, Selous confirmed the Church had already joined other organisers in "planning a service of great national rejoicing and indeed spiritual significance".