The British Government is more likely to protect the rights of hedgehogs than Christians, according to prominent former Tory minister, Ann Widdecombe.

In a speech tomorrow to the annual conference of international charity, Aid to the Church in Need, Ms Widdecombe, who was Minister for Prisons in the last Conservative government, is set to accuse current Tory ministers of double standards for threatening to withdraw foreign aid from nations which persecute homosexuals but ignoring the plight of persecuted Christians.

It follows reports that David Cameron has threatened to slash aid to poor African countries that persecute gay people.

In her speech, she will say Government is turning a blind eye to abuse of Christians around the world while pressuring countries who target sexual orientation.

Malawi has already had its aid cut by £19 million after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years hard labour.

In her Miss Widdecombe will say: “Fair enough. But what about Christians? When do we qualify for such protection or don’t we?

“You stand a better chance of earnest representation if you are a hedgehog than if you are a persecuted Christian.”

Earlier this month, the killing of at least 25 Coptic Christians Egypt highlighted the plight of Christians in some parts of the world.

The country’s ruling military council was forced to deny that it was responsible when violence broke out in Cairo and two generals spoke publicly to claim that the army was attacked by Christians armed with swords and Molotov cocktails.

They denied numerous witness accounts and the testimony of hospitals that many of those who died were either shot by soldiers or run over by speeding army vehicles.

The fallout has given rise to claims that the army is deliberately inciting unrest to maintain a grip on the country.

Ahead of her speech, Miss Widdecombe told the Daily Telegraph last night: “I have been amazed by the sheer extent of persecution of Christians around the world. Most people think this is confined to some Islamic countries but it is not.”

She said there is “tremendous state prohibition of the church” in many countries.

“To be honest, on the whole we do very little and what I am trying to do is raise the profile.

“Once we start going down a road of saying you do not get aid unless you stop persecuting (certain groups) then why on earth are we not putting religious freedom in as an equal to homosexuality? It is extraordinary.”

Earlier this year, the precarious position of Egypt’s Copts triggered another row over EU policy regarding persecuted Christians.

In January, the foreign ministers of Italy and France expressed fury with Baroness Catherine Ashton, the EU’s High Representative on Foreign Affairs because a draft resolution sponsored by her office on violence in the Middle East made no specific reference to the killing of Christians.

This was despite the fact that there had been a number of deadly attacks on Christian civilians in Iraq and Egypt, one involving an attack on a Church in Cairo on New Year’s Eve.

The draft statement devised by a working group of the European Council for Foreign Affairs instead referred only to “increasing number of acts of religious intolerance, discrimination and violence” adding, “No part of the world is exempt from the scourge of religious intolerance.”.

Ireland was represented at the meeting by its Permanent Representative to the European Union, Ambassador Rory Montgomery and backed the draft that failed to mention attacks on Christians.

The European Council for Foreign Affairs finally agreed a statement in February condemning violence specifically against Christians, but the statement did not specify the countries in which this violence took place.