Jim Wells, an Assembly member for the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, has said the country will not be "bullied" into changing its abortion laws.

At a counter-protest to a pro-choice demonstration outside Lagansides Courts in Belfast today (May 31), the former deputy speaker said devolution meant Northern Ireland could make its own decisions about access to abortions.

He added: "The Assembly discussed this in detail on the 10th of February, 2016, and decided after a lengthy debate that we do not need to change the laws in Northern Ireland.

“We’re not going to be bullied or bounced into changing our laws because of what happened in the Irish Republic.”