All of the main Churches in the North have attacked a plan by the UK Government to force the authorities in Northern Ireland to set up an extremely permissive abortion regime.

Westminster legislated for the widespread provision of abortion over a year ago, but the Northern Executive never acted on it.

Now the Secretary of State, Brandon Lewis, is set to compel the North’s Health Service to rollout the regime over the heads of the Executive.

In a statement on Friday, The Presbyterian Church in Ireland expressed ‘grave concern’ and said the move would represent a serious undermining of devolved rule.

The Methodist Church in Ireland voiced its concern, saying the move would ‘usurp’ the role of the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, The Most Revd John McDowell, said the proposal would heighten the sense of a democratic deficit.

Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, the Northern Catholic Bishops said the move is an effort to bypass internationally agreed devolved structures, to foist a law on an unwilling populace, that blatantly undermines the right to life of unborn children.