Tories refuse to hand back £10million from donor in Diane Abbott race row
A Tory Minister has refused to say if the party should hand back cash from one of its biggest donors after he allegedly said seeing Diane Abbott on TV made him “want to hate all black women”.
Millionaire businessman Frank Hester apologised last night following a report in the Guardian, which alleged he also said the former Shadow Home Secretary “should be shot”. Mr Hester, who runs health tech firm TPP, admitted he was rude about Ms Abbott at the private meeting in 2019 but said his criticism "had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin".
"It is frightening," said Ms Abbott said in a statement. "I live in Hackney and do not drive so I find myself, at weekends, popping on a bus or even walking places more than most MPs. I am a single woman and that makes me vulnerable anyway. But to hear someone talking like this is worrying."
She added: "For all of my career as an MP I have thought it important, not to live in a bubble, but to mix and mingle with ordinary people. The fact that two MPs have been murdered in recent years makes talk like this all the more alarming."
Rishi Sunak is facing calls to return donations Mr Hester has made to the Tory Party, which totalled £10million last year. He donated £5million to the party individually and gave another £5million via his firm, according to the Electoral Commission.
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Tory Minister Graham Stuart refused to say if the money should be handed back as he tried to downplay the row in a series of broadcast interviews. He told Sky News the alleged remarks were "clearly reprehensible", "truly awful", and Mr Hester was "absolutely right to apologise".
Tory Minister Graham Stuart refused to say the Tories would hand back the donations from Frank HesterBut asked if the Conservatives should return his donation, Mr Stuart said: "It's obviously deeply regrettable but we can't cancel anybody from participation in public life or indeed donating to parties because they said something intemperate and wrong in their past. It's not my decision, but I do welcome those who support the Conservative Party to ensure that we have Rishi Sunak, of course, our first Hindu Prime Minister."
Asked whether he would welcome donations from people who had made similar comments, he said: "I'm saying that I welcome those who contribute and I'm not here to sit in judgment on one remark." He later told the Today programme the remarks were made "half a decade ago".
Cabinet minister Mel Stride said: "What is clear (is) that what he said was inappropriate. He has, as I understand it, apologised for those remarks. I think the critical point here is I don't think what he was saying was a gender-based or a race-based comment, but it was clearly inappropriate. He has apologised and I think we need to move on from that."
Should the Tories hand back the £10m donation? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
Keir Starmer said the alleged comments were "abhorrent" and said the Tories should hand back the donations. Speaking to ITV's Lorraine, he said: "Diane has been a trailblazer, she has paved the way for others. She has probably faced more abuse than any other politician over the years on a sustained basis.
"I'm sorry, this apology this morning which is pretending that what was said wasn't racist or anything to do with the fact that she's a woman. I don't buy that I'm afraid. "I think it's time the Tory Party called it out and returned the money."
Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “Graham Stuart’s refusal to call out these racist comments was simply jaw-dropping. The Conservative Party has flat out refused to return these donations despite these comments being inexcusable. How low can you go?
Frank Hester apologise for being rude about Diane Abbott but said he abhors racism“Rishi Sunak can bunker down and hide in Downing Street as long as he wants but every day he doesn’t return this money is another damning blow to the Conservative Party’s credibility.”
According to the Guardian, which has conducted a months-long investigation into Mr Hester, he said during a 2019 meeting about an executive from another company: “It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.
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“[The executive] and Diane Abbott need to be shot. She’s stupid … If we can get [the executive] being unprofessional we can get her sacked." He then reportedly said it "would be much better if she died".
In another 2018 meeting, the Guardian claims, he called "foreign" workers into a meeting and said although he makes "a lot of jokes about racism" he thinks it is "just the most abhorrent thing". He later called on staff to be "loving and accepting of each other". He reportedly told them that progress would not be “based on the colour of your skin, your ethnicity, where your parents are from”.
The Mirror has not heard the recording and cannot independently verify the alleged remarks.
TPP, which has received more than £400million in NHS and other Government contracts since 2016, told the newspaper the remarks have been "distorted".
A TPP spokesperson said: "Frank Hester accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin. The Guardian is right when it quotes Frank saying he abhors racism, not least because he experienced it as the child of Irish immigrants in the 1970’s.
"He rang Diane Abbott twice today to try to apologise directly for the hurt he has caused her, and is deeply sorry for his remarks. He wishes to make it clear that he regards racism as a poison which has no place in public life."
A Conservative spokeswoman said: "Mr Hester has made clear that while he was rude, his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor the colour of her skin. He has since apologised."
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