Pop star Lily Allen has been branded "extremely offensive" by an MP after a controversial performance in which she lay in a manger while parodying the nativity scene.

The show at London's O2 Academy Brixton on 12 December included back-up dancers dressed as a donkey, a Christmas cracker and a present, while the stage was lit-up with illuminated baby bottles.

Allen wore a short blue dress, a halo-like hairpiece and lay in a hay-covered manger before singing her song 'Sheezus'. She was later joined by two wise men and a shepherd, among other Christmas-themed characters.

Conservative MP Martin Vickers told the Sunday Express that the performance "could be extremely offensive to many Christians".

"It is important that all religions are given the respect they deserve and I can certainly understand why some Christians believe their deeply held views are being squeezed out," he added.

Campaign group Christian Voice's Stephen Green also lambasted the show, saying: "It is tasteless, it is disrespectful and it is crass."

Allen, however, didn't seem to mind that she had raised a few eyebrows. She posted this picture to twitter just after the gig on Friday, referring to herself as '#littlebabySHEEZUS':