A Barclaycard executive has been forced to quit after making an insulting remark about Muslims.

Marc Howells, one of the company’s leading figures, left his £200,000-a-year job following the tasteless quip during a staff meeting as he discussed quarterly figures.

Colleagues were stunned when he said: "The results were like Muslims - some were good, some were Shi’ite."

Offended members of staff complained to senior bosses about the "wholly inappropriate" comment.

Mr Howells, 42, who worked for Barclaycard’s European arm and has a £2million home in St John’s Wood, was forced out earlier this month after negotiating an undisclosed pay-off, classed as "redundancy under compromise".

A company source said: "No one could quite believe their ears when he came out with his Shi’ite joke.

"He had a very responsible job in a multinational company. What on earth was he thinking of?

"There were a few embarrassed guffaws but everyone except him knew he was for the high jump the moment he said it."

Another company insider said: "Part of the deal was that the circumstances of his departure must never be disclosed. But there was no chance of that once his Shi’ite joke started doing the rounds."

A Barclaycard spokesman refused to comment about the departure, but said: "We do not tolerate discrimination."

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