The Anti-Defamation League has criticised Donald Trump’s latest executive order, on religious freedom, for eroding the separation between religion and politics.

The order will weaken a 1954 regulation, known as the Johnson Amendment,  which prohibits churches and other religious groups from backing political candidates or groups.

The Johnson Amendment allowed the government to remove the tax-exempt status of faith groups if they took party political positions.

Mr Trump signed the order on Thursday and asked the Internal Revenue Service to use “maximum enforcement discretion” with regards to the rarely enforced regulation.

He said: “This financial threat against the faith community is over.

“No one should be censoring sermons or targeting pastors.”

But the ADL said it was concerned the US president’s latest move would “empower” religious groups “to engage in more political activity.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL chief executive, said: “If churches and other religious institutions read this order as an invitation to start politicking, they are mistaken.

“What the executive order will do, unfortunately, is politicise the pews. And as an organization committed to ensuring religious freedom for all people, we know that separation of church and state is designed to protect both.

“This order weakens the foundations of the wall and could seriously damage the integrity and independence of houses of worship.”

However the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU) welcomed the order.

Nathan Diament, the OU’s executive director for public policy said: “As a minority faith community in America, the Orthodox Jewish community depends upon robust legal protections for religious exercise.

“When these legal protections are weakened – as they were under the last administration – our community’s freedom is weakened,

“We are grateful that President Trump has made it clear that his administration will promote and protect the religious liberty of Americans of all faiths wherever possible. We look forward to working with the White House, Justice Department and others to implement the principles laid out in today’s executive order.”