The Free Kirk Moderator has apologised to Ghana's President for the ‘embarrassing’ behaviour of MSPs during the African leader's recent visit to Holyrood, and has singled out Tory leader Ruth Davidson for criticism.

Rev David Robertson said he was speaking out against the “rudeness and discourtesy” of some politicians who refused to applaud President John Dramani Mahama at the Scottish Parliament last week because of the African nation’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) policies.

The Scottish church leader said Ms Davidson, had not behaved in a similar manner against Chinese representatives during a recent visit,despite China banning images of homosexual couples in the national media.

Mr Robertson said: “The leader of the Scottish Conservative Party refused to clap the President and made her opposition public.

“In my view her actions, along with those of Partick Harvie and some other MSPs, were rude, childish, hypocritical and indeed came with more than an alarming tinge of racism, that comes from the moral superiority of the white liberal elites, who just know that they are at the top of the progressive evolutionary tree.

“Ms Davidson belongs to and supports a party which gave a State welcome to the Chinese leader, whose policies on LGBT issues are not that much different from Ghana. For example the Chinese only this year banned images of homosexual couples in the Chinese media.

“Would the Tory leader object to the Chinese visiting the Scottish Parliament? Did she make representations to the British Government about the Chinese being given a State welcome to the UK last year? If not, why not?

“Why protest about Ghana and behave in such a rude and ignorant manner? I am all for standing up for principle, but not what it is selective and hypocritical.”

The Dundee-based minister added that the politicians’ action had actually backfired in Africa, with one campaigner stating Ghana did not need “a white saviour complex”.

He continued: “One LGBT activist in Ghana wrote about the harm their actions had done. But that is the trouble with our moralistic politicians.

“Not only do they want to impose their particular morals on their own people, they are so convinced of their superiority that they feel they have a right to impose them on the whole world. Liberal Colonialism is alive and well!"

Mr Robertson said that he had "a sneaking suspicion" that in the terms of biblical teaching, Christian civilisation and morals, in the future Africans and the Chinese would be sending missionaries to Scotland "helping us out of the endarkening that we are creating for ourselves.

“Meanwhile if by any chance, the Ghanaian President happens to read this, can I as a Scot, apologise sir, for the rudeness and discourtesy of some of our politicians. We are not all like that. You are welcome here. Haste Ye Back.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: “This is a ludicrous intervention from someone who you’d think would know better.

“The idea that Ruth, and indeed Patrick Harvie, are racist is a bonkers conclusion.”