THE SUNDAY TIMES has said an Irish columnist who made controversial comments in its Irish edition will 'not write again' for the publication.
Kevin Myers. (Picture: RollingNews.ie)The paper made the statement after Kevin Myers, a columnist for both The Sunday Times and Sunday Times Ireland edition, made remarks about British broadcasters Vanessa Feltz and Claudia Winkleman.
Writing about the BBC's gender pay gap in a column titled 'Sorry ladies - equal pay has to be earned', Myers said: "I note that two of the best-paid women presenters in the BBC - Claudia Winkleman and Vanessa Feltz, with whose, no doubt, sterling work I am tragically unacquainted - are Jewish.
"Good for them. Jews are not generally noted for their insistence on selling their talent for the lowest possible price, which is the most useful measure there is of inveterate, lost-with-all-hands stupidity."
In the column, Myers also said that men tend to be better paid because '... men usually work harder, get sick less frequently, and seldom get pregnant.'
Following on from its publication in print and online - which was later removed - both editors from The Sunday Times and The Sunday Times Ireland issued statements, citing an "error of judgement."
Martin Ivens, editor of The Sunday Times, said: "The comments in a column by Kevin Myers in today's Irish edition of The Sunday Times were unacceptable and should not have been published.
"It has been taken down and we sincerely apologise both for the remarks and the error of judgement that led to publication."
Frank Fitzgibbon, editor of The Sunday Times Ireland said: "On behalf of The Sunday Times I apologise unreservedly for the offence caused by comments in column written by Kevin Myers and published today in the Ireland edition of The Sunday Times.
"It contained views that have caused considerable distress and upset to a number of people. As the editor of the Ireland edition, I take full responsibility for this error of judgement.
Vanessa Feltz has said she was "extremely upset" by Myers' comments. (Picture: BBC)"This newspaper abhors anti-semitism, and did not intend to cause offence to Jewish people," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
In a further statement, a spokeswoman for The Sunday Times said: "Further to our earlier statement we can confirm that Kevin Myers will not write again for The Sunday Times Ireland. A printed apology will appear in next week’s paper.
'The Sunday Times editor Martin Ivens has also apologised personally to Claudia Winkleman and Vanessa Feltz for these unacceptable comments both to Jewish people and to women in the workplace."
While Claudia Winkleman has not commented on the column, BBC Radio host Vanessa Feltz said she was "extremely upset."
"I couldn't believe that such a thing had been printed, I really couldn't, because it's absolutely gratuitous, it's not cleverly done, it's blatant racism that's all it is," she said.
"When you see it like that when it's undisguised or dressed up, it's very horrifying, especially when it's yourself obviously.
"I would have thought after all these years I'd be immune or used to it, but that's not at all how I felt. I felt extremely upset.
"The apologies are all very well but how did it end up in the paper in the first place?" she added.
