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| Swindon mayor resigns over disability comment | Swindon mayor resigns over disability comment |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Swindon's mayor has resigned after making derogatory remarks about disabled people during a meeting. | Swindon's mayor has resigned after making derogatory remarks about disabled people during a meeting. |
| Conservative Nick Martin, 63, was found guilty of breaching the members' code of conduct after Labour complained about comments he made last year. | |
| Labour councillors said they heard him say: "Are we still letting Mongols have sex with each other?" | Labour councillors said they heard him say: "Are we still letting Mongols have sex with each other?" |
| The standards committee ruled he must apologise but Mr Martin said it was a word he "was brought up with". | The standards committee ruled he must apologise but Mr Martin said it was a word he "was brought up with". |
| In a letter to the council, Mr Martin said it was "with regret" that he submitted his resignation as mayor "with immediate effect". | |
| He added that, following the accusations against him, he had cooperated with the independent standards investigation. | |
| "I have made new apologies and am abiding by the other recommendations from the Standards Assessment Panel," he said. | |
| "However, it is clear that this will not stop the attacks on the office and person of mayor." | |
| 'Best decision' | |
| Mr Martin was reported to the standards committee by Labour councillors Ray Ballman and Junab Ali after the remarks were made at a Swindon Borough Council meeting last year. | |
| Last Thursday, the committee ruled Mr Martin must make a public apology within seven days and attend further training within a fortnight. | |
| Conservative leader of the council, David Renard, said the process had "proved to be a robust system". | |
| "It was right and proper that due process took its course," he said. | |
| "The mayor accepted the recommendations and has agreed to resign. I think he has made the best decision that he could, in the interests of the office of the mayor and all involved." |