A UKIP AM has been banned from speaking in the Assembly until he apologies for 'hateful' comments about transgender rights.

Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday South Wales Central AM Gareth Bennett said he was concerned society would "completely implode" as a result of concessions to what he called "deviation from the norm".

"If we carry on down this road of appeasing the nuttiest elements of the transgender movement, then what we will face as a society, within a very short space of time, is total implosion," he said.

Speaking the following day, presiding officer Elin Jones branded his words "particularly hateful to the transgender community".

"This chamber is not a platform to demean citizens of Wales, and everybody deserves our respect and our understanding," she said.

She gave Mr Bennett the opportunity to apologise, but he refused to do so, saying: "There will be no apology. There will be no withdrawal."

Ms Jones replied: "I have asked the member to apologise and to withdraw his comments.

"He has said that he will not do so.

"That member will not be called in this chamber in 2018 until he has done so."

Speaking afterwards, the leader of the Assembly's Ukip group Neil Hamilton said he had "a frank exchange of views" with Ms Jones over the issue.

"Ukip is a minority whose rights need to be protected as well," he said.

"We were elected to confront the Cardiff Bay consensus and political correctness and will continue to do so."