UK Liberal MEP resigns from top EU job

MEP Chris Davies has resigned as leader of the European parliament's UK Liberals after making offensive comments to a Jewish constituent.

Davies told a Jewish woman he hoped she enjoyed "wallowing in her own filth".

After a meeting with the Liberal Democrat party leader Sir Menzies Campbell in the UK, Davies announced he was standing down.

Baroness Sarah Ludford, an MEP for London, becomes acting leader of the UK's 12 Liberal Democrats in the parliament.

The row started when Davies, commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, claimed that Jews had now themselves become oppressors despite experiencing the Holocaust.

When a constituent wrote to him in protest, the Jewish News reported that the MEP replied in an email: "Sounds like racism to me. I hope you enjoy wallowing in your own filth."

In a statement on his resignation, he said: "I apologise for the language and tone of my email, which was unacceptable and without justification."

On his website, Davies described the exchange as ten seconds of madness.

"I've paid the price for pressing the 'send' button when I was not only angry but blazing mad. I dislike rudeness and I would never have used these words if I had stopped for long enough to put my brain into gear."

"Three weeks ago I described the policies of the Israeli Government as akin to apartheid. The irony is that of all the foul and insulting e-mails I have had since then this was one of the more reasonable, but mentally I put it in the same bracket as the others."

Sir Menzies Campbell also issued a statement, saying he was sorry to see Davies go.

"I discussed this matter with him, when we agreed that the proper course for him now is to resign as leader of the Liberal Democrat MEPs,” he said.

"What he said was unacceptable and he recognises that unreservedly.

"I deeply regret the offence his remarks have caused to the Jewish community."

News of the resignation comes at a difficult time for Britain's Liberal as the party failed to make significant progress in UK's local elections on Thursday.

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