AN SNP council candidate has been suspended for on-line criticism of midwives who oppose abortion and calls for physical action against RBS branches and former boss Fred Goodwin.

Lyall Duff, who is standing next month in Murdostoun, North Lanarkshire, was unmasked by Labour for making the comments on his Facebook page.

He also praised Nigel Farage of UKIP as "one of England's best politicians, unlike the snotty little plebs who now own Westminster" and urged him to create an English National Party.

However, his most toxic comments related to two Catholic midwives seeking an opt-out from performing abortions, mocking them as "money-grabbing old witches" who should be forced to become cleaners.

Although the SNP suspended him it is too late to remove him from the ballot paper. Labour MSP for Central Scotland Mark Griffin said: "This stream of bile is outrageous. He is clearly unfit to be a candidate and the SNP must expel him today."