A high-profile Tory donor has stated he’s “deeply sorry” following reviews he stated former Labour MP Diane Abbott made him “wish to hate all black ladies”.
Frank Hester, the chief govt of The Phoenix Partnership, which donated £10m to the Tories final 12 months, additionally reportedly stated Ms Abbott, who stays suspended from the parliamentary Labour Get together, “ought to be shot”.
In a put up on X, a spokesperson for Mr Hester admitted he had made “impolite” feedback about Ms Abbott, which have been first reported by The Guardian, however stated that they had “nothing to do together with her gender nor color of pores and skin”.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have known as on the Tories to return the cash Mr Hester has donated to the occasion following the feedback, which have been branded “reprehensible”.
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The assertion stated: “Frank Hester accepts that he was impolite about Diane Abbot in a personal assembly a number of years in the past however his criticism had nothing to do together with her gender nor color of pores and skin.
“The Guardian is correct when it quotes Frank saying he abhors racism, not least as a result of he skilled it because the youngster of Irish immigrants within the Seventies.”
It added: “He rang Diane Abbott twice at this time to attempt to apologise straight for the harm he has prompted her, and is deeply sorry for his remarks.
“He needs to make it clear that he regards racism as a poison which has no place in public life.”
Electoral Fee information present Mr Hester donated £10m to the Tories final 12 months, together with a £5m donation to Rishi Sunak that got here from him personally and one other £5m that got here from his healthcare software program agency in November.
Based on The Guardian, Mr Hester made the remarks about Ms Abbott in 2019 throughout a gathering at his Leeds firm headquarters.
He reportedly stated: “It is like attempting to not be racist however you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and also you’re similar to… you simply wish to hate all black ladies as a result of she’s there.
“And I do not hate all black ladies in any respect, however I believe she ought to be shot.”
Anneliese Dodds, the chair of the Labour Get together, stated: “These feedback are reprehensible.
“Frank Hester is the Conservative Get together’s greatest ever donor, in addition to a private donor to the prime minister, it’s due to this fact important that Rishi Sunak and the Tories return his donations, in full immediately.
“Rishi Sunak has claimed that ‘phrases matter’, and he should know that holding on to that cash would counsel the Conservatives condone these disturbing feedback. Sunak should return each penny.”
The Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain urged Mr Sunak to rule out “any future peerage” for Mr Hester.
And talking within the Commons, Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow well being secretary, stated Mr Hester had used “totally revolting, racist and inciteful language” and known as on the prime minister to apologise to Ms Abbott.
A Conservative spokeswoman stated: “Mr Hester has made clear that whereas he was impolite, his criticism had nothing to do together with her gender nor the color of her pores and skin.
“He has since apologised.”
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Ms Abbott, who was first elected because the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 1987, had the Labour whip withdrawn final April after she recommended in The Observer that Jewish, Irish and Traveller individuals are not topic to racism “all their lives”.
Ms Abbott, who sits as an unbiased within the Commons, is awaiting the result of an unbiased complaints course of arrange by Labour to research her remarks.
