RIGHT-WING campaigner and former UKIP candidate Martin Costello has launched an official complaint against two borough councillors.

Earlier this year Mr Costello asked critical questions about the cost of new mayor Junab Ali’s inaugural banquet at Tiffins restaurant, which cost £4,600.

That is significantly less than the two previous mayoral banquets and Labour councillor Jim Robbins queried Mr Costello’s reasons for the inquiry.

He said the question was “clearly racially motivated” and added: “We’ve had 116 mayors, wonder why he chose the meal celebrating our first Muslim mayor as the one to challenge the entirely reasonable cost of...”

A meme gif labelled “That seems racist” was attached.

Conservative councillor Tim Swinyard also took issue with the question tweeting: “I think this.. is purely an attack on him because he’s Muslim, nothing more.”

Mr Costello has demanded that both councillors be suspended.

He wrote to the council: “Such slanderous false and baseless claims are insulting to those who genuinely do suffer from racism in our society. I am proud to be a Swindon 200 ambassador that promotes equality so this is particularly insulting."

He added: “It must be made clear that bigotry, bullying and slander in any form is totally unacceptable.”

He demanded suspension of the two councillors to show the complaint was being taken seriously. Both councillors defended their comments

Coun Robbins said: “I would be more than happy to explain to the standards committee my reasons for saying what I did on Twitter and it will be a matter for them to judge whether I was accurate in my assessment."

Coun Swinyard said: “I’m very surprised about this as it seems Mr Costello is trying to make something out of nothing. Should this be an official complaint, I shall defend my words and my right to say them.”

When informed that Maureen Penny’s mayoral meal in 2017 cost £5,448, and Coun Eric Shaw’s in 2016 was £5,566 - more than £1,100 dearer that Coun Ali’s - Mr Costello said: “I was not aware until recently that the mayoral annual meals even existed.

“When this became apparent to me back in May I was intrigued to know how much it was costing the taxpayer after we had just suffered the greatest council tax increase in the country that has pushed more hard-working friends, family and neighbours into poverty.

“Submitting a FOI request for the most recent meal, I was horrified to learn that this jolly cost Swindon council tax payers £4,600. I am even more appalled that previous years cost even more now you have brought this to my attention. ”

Mr Costello was recently involved in an incident in a London bookshop which saw the police called, and he was suspended by UKIP before being cleared of wrongdoing and reinstated.

He regularly appears in videos online in front of posters supporting English Defence League founder Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.