Tory association chairman resigns after saying A&Es are full of ‘fat mums in pot noodle-stained leggings’

The independent councillor has since said his comments were taken out of context

Councillor Gareth Baines apologised for the comments, which he said had been taken out of context (Facebook/@cllrbaines)

A Welsh tory chairman has stepped down from his role after referring to those using accident and emergency services in the UK as “fat mums in pot noodle-stained leggings/pjs”.

Clwyd South Conservative Association chairman Gareth Baines has since apologised for his post to social media on New Years Eve, which compared the German healthcare system to the NHS.

“A&Es in Germany aren’t full of fat mums in pot noodle stained leggings/pjs taking their kids for a day out at A&E to harvest Facebook likes because their darling little snot covered ASBO fell over”, he wrote, adding “Happy New Year”.

It comes as hospitals across the UK are inundated with patients amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which prompted a UK wide lockdown days after Mr Baines’ post.

The comments were made to his personal Twitter account - prompting anger from locals including former Liberal Democrat council candidate Aimi Waters - who wrote “Residents in ClwydSouth and Chirk deserve better especially when we are asked to put trust in these people.”

The Conservative member, who serves as an independent councillor for the Welsh town of Chirk, has since said his comments were taken “out of context” - but elected to step down from his role with the local conservative association.

Mr Baines had previously worked on the campaign to elect Conservative Simon Baynes as MP for Clwyd South - a seat he won in 2019 to secure the constituency for the party for the first time in its history.

In a statement issued by the Welsh Conservatives on his behalf, the councillor said: “Whilst I feel my comments have been taken out of context, I do offer my sincere apologies for any offence they may have caused.

“I have also taken the decision to step down from my role as the chairman of Clwyd South Conservative association with immediate effect”.