Former Sunday Times editorial director Eleanor Mills has resigned from the Society of Editors board in protest at the body’s handling of a row around bigotry in the media.

The body’s executive director Ian Murray prompted a storm of outrage on 8 March when he issued a statement saying: “the UK media is not bigoted”, in response to criticism levelled against the tabloid press in particular by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Mills publicly distanced herself from the statement, as did fellow board members i editor Oly Duff, who said it was “ludicrous” to issue a “blanket defence of all media coverage”, and The Voice news editor Vic Motune.