Tories accept another £5 million from company linked to donor involved in racism controversy with Diane Abbott

06 June 2024 , 08:08

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The Tories have refused to hand back money donated by Frank Hester

The Tories accepted £5million in January from The Phoenix Partnership, the Leeds-based firm owned by Frank Hester, who allegedly said Diane Abbott should be shot

The Tories accepted £5million from the firm owned by a donor who allegedly said Diane Abbott "should be shot".

Frank Hester reportedly also said Ms Abbott made him "want to hate all black women", sparking a police investigation. Latest Electoral Commission records, released today, reveal that the Conservatives accepted £5million from The Phoenix Partnership (TPP), the Leeds-based firm owned by Mr Hester, in January.

Rishi Sunak faced intense pressure to hand back millions of pounds of donations from Mr Hester when the alleged remarks came to light in March. But he and the Tory hierarchy steadfastly refused to do so - and did not block the latest donation.

Mr Sunak belatedly admitted the comments were racist after refusing to say they were for more than 24 hours after they first emerged. In a humiliating U-turn, the PM’s spokesman said: “The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong."

However the PM resisted pressure to hand back £10million in donations from Mr Hester. Instead he said Mr Hester had "rightly apologised for the offence caused and where remorse is shown it should be accepted".

Electoral Commission records show £5million of donations in January

Mr Hester has previously made donations to the party under his own name. But back in September The Mirror reported TPP had given £150,000 to the Tories months after being given an NHS contract for a similar sum. 

At the time the time it said this was a mistake and that the donation should have been made by Mr Hester himself. It claimed to be "apolitical" - raising questions about why it is again recorded as a donor.

The company said at the time: “TPP strictly follows the guidelines for public sector contracting. In regards to the donations, these should have been made by Frank Hester in his personal capacity rather than through the business. Mr Hester repaid the company in full. For absolute clarity, TPP is unequivocally apolitical.”

Following confirmation of the latest donation Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper MP said: “How low can Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives go? If the Conservatives spend this money they will be proudly funded by a man who made the most appalling racist and sexist comments. 

"Ultimately the buck stops with Rishi Sunak. Sunak must personally intervene and make sure not a penny of this money is spent. No amount of tainted funding will stop the threat the Liberal Democrats pose to the Conservatives in many seats across the country."

Mr Hester apologised when reports of his comments were first reported by The Guardian. 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."

David Wilson