Tory leadership candidates under pressure over refusal to act on abortion ban as senior Conservative vows: 'Parliament will act'

Johnson and Hunt say abortion and same-sex marriage laws in Northern Ireland will remain

Tory leadership contenders are under pressure to intervene over strict abortion laws in Northern Ireland after a senior cabinet minister said parliament could step in to change the "appalling" care women face.

Women's minister Penny Mordaunt set herself at odds with both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt by suggesting the UK government could act if a court ruling finds women's human rights were being breached.

Northern Ireland has some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, forbidding terminations even in cases of rape or incest.

Ms Mordaunt, who is backing Mr Hunt, condemned "shocking" cases of women who have given birth to dead babies or children who have been sexually assaulted having to travel to England with a police escort to seek a termination.

It comes after both men ruled out changes to abortion and same-sex marriage laws in Northern Ireland if they won the Tory leadership race.

At a hustings in Belfast, Mr Hunt and Mr Johnson both said reforms were a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly - which has been suspended since 2017.

Ms Mordaunt, who is also the defence secretary, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Abortion has always been a free vote issue but I can tell you that the evidence that we have heard from the Women's Select Committee inquiry into this has been, I think, really shocking.

"We have huge paucity of care for women. We have women who are having to give birth to babies that are actually decomposing because they couldn't access the healthcare they needed when they lost that pregnancy.

"Children who have been the victims of sexual assault having to be followed by the police to Liverpool, in order for those police officers to obtain DNA evidence in cases."

Asked why she was supporting Jeremy Hunt, who said it was a devolved matter, she said: "The reason why this hasn't been dealt with to date is because it is a devolved matter and we take devolution seriously."

Ms Mordaunt added: "We are expecting a ruling shortly that what is going on in Northern Ireland is incompatible with an individual's human rights.

"In every single case where there has been a declaration of incompatibility with human rights the government has acted. This government has acted, previous governments have acted.

"Parliament has been very vocal on this issue and if a government didn't act parliament would and there would be clearly a free vote on that issue.

"I think this needs to be resolved. The paucity of care that women have endured in Northern Ireland is the most appalling thing and it must change, that is my view."

The current legal challenge has been brought by Sarah Ewart, 28, who was denied an abortion in Northern Ireland in 2013 after receiving a diagnosis of a fatal foetal abnormality.

Her case was brought after the Supreme Court ruled last year that Northern Ireland's abortion laws were in breach of human rights laws.

However, the court concluded that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission - which brought the case - did not have the power to bring the proceedings as it was not itself a "victim" of any unlawful act.

Power sharing at Stormont broke down in January 2017 over a botched renewable energy schemes, leaving Northern Ireland without a functioning executive.