Celtic director Lord Livingston has stepped down from his role after nearly a decade at the club.

Lord Livingston, who previously served as chief executive of telecommunications giant BT Group, was appointed in October 2007.

The Tory peer chaired the audit committee of Celtic PLC and was the UK Government's trade minister from December 2013 until May 2015.

He was previously the subject of a petition by Celtic supporters to be removed from the Parkhead boardroom after he backed the Conservative government's cuts to tax credits in 2015.

At the time he said he had received racist abuse from some supporters over the controversy, while he also stated he was not in agreement with the "nature" of the cuts but felt it was not the place of the unelected House of Lords to block it.

Confirming his decision to stand down, which will come into effect on June 30, Lord Livingston said on Tuesday: "Having stood in the Jungle as a boy, it was a great honour to be a director of Celtic.

" With the club in a strong position, I look forward to Celtic's continued success in the future."

The club said Lord Livingston will be focusing on his "other board commitments", including chairing telecommunications retailer Dixons Carphone and investment management firm Man Group.

Celtic chairman Ian Bankier said: "On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Ian for his insight, experience and commitment to the club.

"Ian is a highly-respected figure in business and public life and Celtic has been fortunate to benefit from his contribution during his time as a director."