The British state is perpetuating infanticide by allowing late-term abortions, one of Scotland’s most high profile businessmen has claimed.

Sir Brian Souter, the multimillionaire co-founder of the Stagecoach transport empire, was delivering a guest sermon at a Glasgow evangelical church where he cited the biblical slaughter of the innocents by Herod.

“Some may think and say; ‘What relevance has this Brian, this story of infanticide in a modern Britain?’, he said. “In this modern Britain you can terminate the life of a child at 39 weeks if that child has a disability and that disability can be something as insignificant as a hare lip.”

“In 21st century Britain, evil is never far away”, he added.

Souter, a member of the Church of the Nazarene, continued: “There is an epidemic of suicide and self harm happening in Scotland among our young people. It’s like Satan has put a spirit of despair on our youth and our young men in particular.

“Those of us who believe in the power of God’s spirit need to pray against this because it’s running through our nation and destroying the lives of our young people.”