Toby Young has already resigned from the Office for Students, the little snowflake

Toby Young has resigned from the board of the Office for Students, saying his appointment had "become a distraction" from the "vital work" of the university regulator.

The right-wing journalist was referring to past comments he had made about "inclusivity" in a column in The Spectator that included ableist remarks, as well as tweets which included: "What happened to Winkleman's breasts. Put on some weight girlie", referring to television presenter Claudia Winkleman.

The OfS, formed this year, is a government body tasked with holding universities to account over issues such as vice chancellor's pay and free speech on campus.

He has since apologised for these comments, and deleted 48,000 tweets including those deemed offensive.

This morning Young announced his resignation in The Spectator:

"Some of the things I said before I got involved in education, when I was a journalistic provocateur, were either ill-judged or just plain wrong – and I unreservedly apologise."

He thanked Theresa May and the former education secretary, Justine Greening, for their support.

Since his appointment a week ago, Young faced a backlash questioning his suitability for the position, with over 200,000 people signing a petition calling for his dismissal, writing 'In defence of Toby Young, by Toby Young'.

Chair of the education committee, Robert Halfon, said Mr Young's comments on disability, eugenics and working people, had gone too far.

Boris Johnson, who's brother Jo had appointed Toby Young to the OfS, had defended Young's position saying he was the ideal man for the job.

Univerisities minister Jo Johnson said Toby Young's resignation and apology "reflects his character better than the one-sided caricature from his armchair critics".