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| Swindon mayor resigns over disability comment | Swindon mayor resigns over disability comment |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Swindon's mayor has resigned after making derogatory remarks about disabled people in a training meeting. | |
| Conservative Nick Martin, 63, was found guilty of breaching the members' code of conduct after Labour complained about comments he made last year. | 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". | 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. | 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. | "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." | "However, it is clear that this will not stop the attacks on the office and person of mayor." |
| Mr Martin was reported to the standards committee by Labour councillors Ray Ballman and Junab Ali after the remarks were made during a training meeting for councillors last year. | |
| Last Thursday, the committee ruled Mr Martin must make a public apology within seven days and attend further training within a fortnight. | Last Thursday, the committee ruled Mr Martin must make a public apology within seven days and attend further training within a fortnight. |
| 'Deep-seated ignorance' | |
| Conservative leader of the council, David Renard, said the process had "proved to be a robust system". | 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. | "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." | "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." |
| Richard Hawkes, of disability charity Scope said Mr Martin's "outdated comments" showed a "lack of acceptance that disabled people have sex lives". | |
| "The mayor insinuated that there is something wrong with disabled people having sex with each other," he said. | |
| "The outcry following the mayor's comments show that the general public don't condone this kind of deep-seated ignorance towards disabled people." |