Nick Martin, a Conservative Party councillor, said: “Are we still letting these Mongols have sex with each other?” during a Swindon Borough Council meeting about the challenges faced by disabled adults in modern society.
After complaints from two Labour councillors, Mr Martin was found guilty by an independent officer for the council and ordered to apologise.
Mr Martin said he had apologised to the council “for using a word I shouldn’t have,” and added that he would say sorry publicly “as I have been asked to”.
Speaking to BBC Wiltshire, the mayor said he had been using a word he was “brought up with” and added that it was “not a modern word.”
Richard Hawkes, the chief executive of the disability charity Scope, said the mayor had “missed the point” after the council demanded he provide an “unreserved” apology.
“Of course he should apologise for using this offensive term. But this isn’t just about political correctness and using the wrong words.
“Disturbingly, he has insinuated that there is something wrong with disabled people having sex with each other.”
Image credit: YouTube/swindonweb
