The mayor of Bath has resigned after sharing social media posts about the Golders Green arson attack which suggested the incident was a fraud.
Dr Bharat Pankhania was unanimously elected by the city’s charter trustees in June 2025.
Last week, he shared a post on his X account about the 23 March attack, in which four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire.
The vehicles were run by Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service.
The incident is being investigated as an antisemitic hate crime.
Dr Pankhania earlier apologised for sharing the posts, which he described as “abhorrent”. He was also suspended by the Liberal Democrat group on Bath and North East Somerset Council.
In a statement this week, the Liberal Democrat council group confirmed that Dr Pankhania had offered his resignation as city mayor and from the group.
“Both these resignations have been accepted,” a spokesperson said.
“Cllr Pankhania again apologised for his interactions on X, and reiterated that he has spent his life working with all communities, whilst acknowledging the hurt he had caused.
“In resigning, Cllr Pankhania is taking clear personal responsibility for his actions.
“As a Group and as a Party, we reject discrimination wherever it occurs and reiterate our stance against antisemitism.”
On Wednesday, police said that three further people had been arrested in connection with the alleged arson attack.
Two British men, aged 19 and 20, and a 17-year-old dual British-Pakistani national, were arrested at separate addresses in east London.
Two other men, aged 45 and 47 and also British, who were arrested last week have been released on bail until late April.
In a statement on X, Dr Pankhania previously said: “I have been made aware that I have reposted or replied to some posts which have never aligned to my values and beliefs, and which are abhorrent.
“I am incredibly apologetic that I have not lived up to the standards I set myself.
“I have of course deleted them, and I wish to apologise unreservedly.”
