A prominent Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician has compared the availability of abortion in the UK to the Nazi murders of Jews and others during the Holocaust.

Jim Wells, Northern Ireland‘s former health minister, said more “human beings” had been killed with terminations since laws were relaxed in most of Britain than by Nazi Germany’s genocide campaign.

Mr Wells was taking part in a BBC Radio Ulster debate a caller accused the veteran politician of characterising pro-choice voices in British politics as “like the Nazis” and suggesting there was “something worse than the Holocaust happening in England”.

Mr Wells replied: “I don’t think he’s too far wrong.”

The 61-year-old, who recently lost the DUP whip after criticising the party’s leadership, added: “Nine point two million people have had their lives terminated through abortion in Britain since 1967. That is actually more than the number of lives murdered in the gas and concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald.

“It is a ghastly situation – we are killing human beings. These are sentient human beings who have every right to life, who have every right to be protected.”

Clarifying his comments later, the South Down representative insisted it was fair to compare “the numbers” because “these human beings have been killed”.

Theresa May, relies on the DUP for support in key Westminster votes, has faced pressure from MPs on both sides of the Commons to reform Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws, following a landslide vote in the Republic of Ireland to liberalise its own system.

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Abortion is illegal in the province unless there is a serious risk to the woman’s health or life. The 1967 Abortion Act which covers the remainder of Britain does not extend there.

The DUP is firmly anti-abortion and the prime minister has so far resisted the calls to step in – she has said any decision on the matter must be taken by politicians in Stormont.

However, an ongoing power-sharing crisis that has left Northern Ireland without a functioning legislature.