What did Frank Hester say about Diane Abbott? Donor at centre of race row gave another £5m to Tories - reports

Frank Hester, the Tory donor at the centre of a racism row, has given another £5million to the Conservative Party, reports claim.

The businessman was cast into the spotlight after the Guardian reported he made a series of shocking comments about MP Diane Abbott at a private meeting in 2019. Hester did not deny the allegations and apologised for being "rude", however said he was not racist.

Hester is the Conservative Party's biggest donor, with the latest Electoral Commission records showing he has given £10million in the last year. Today (14 March), Tortoise Media reported that Hester has given an additional £5million to the Tories since the figures were last updated. So far Rishi Sunak has refused to give the money back.

Here is everything you need to know.

What did Frank Hester say about Diane Abbott?

On Monday (11 March), the Guardian reported that Hester said that Abbott makes you “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”. He reportedly told the meeting that he did not hate all black women, but seeing the first ever female black MP on TV meant “you just want to hate all black women because she’s there”. He added: "It would be much better if she died."

Hester also said “we take the piss out of the fact that all our Chinese girls sit together in Asian corner”. At the meeting he reportedly told his team that success at his company would not be “based on the colour of your skin, your ethnicity, where your parents are from”.

He reportedly said: "I make a lot of jokes about racism, about our different creeds and cultures. But I just want to assure you that it is just the most abhorrent thing." The Guardian reported at a separate meeting he made a joke about Indian people standing on top of a train.

Hester has apologised for his comments, but did not deny making them. A spokesperson said: "Frank Hester accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbot 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 1970s. 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."

What did Diane Abbott say in response?

In response Abbott wrote an article for the Guardian saying she "was upset but not surprised". She wrote: "This is partly because I am hardened to racist abuse. I receive hundreds of abusive emails, phone calls and letters monthly, and the numbers shoot up whenever I am in the media."

She added: "Most of this correspondence targets my appearance, questions my intelligence and features classic racist lines such as: 'Go back to where you come from.'"

The incident was brought up several times in PMQs on Wednesday, however Abbott was not called by the Speaker for a question.

How much has Frank Hester donated to the Tories?

According to the Electoral Commission website, Hester has donated £10m to the Tories in the last year. Now, Tortoise Media is reporting that an additional £5m will appear the next time the Commission updates its public records.

Hester's company, a healthcare technology firm called the Phoenix Partnership, has also provided Rishi Sunak with a helicopter ride worth £16,000. In an interview with the Telegraph earlier this year, Hester said he had had "long conversations" with the Prime Minister about AI.

His company has been paid more than £400m in government and NHS contracts since 2016, primarily involving the digitisation of the health service. Jeremy Hunt announced further funding for this area in the Budget.

What has Rishi Sunak said?

The Prime Minister initially refused to say the comments were racist. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride argued that the reported words were not “gender-based or race-based”, adding: “He has apologised and I think we need to move on from that.”

Energy minister Graham Stuart said that, while the alleged remarks were “ridiculous”, he would “hesitate” to describe them as racist. At Tuesday's midday briefing with journalists reaching, Sunak’s official spokesman continually refused to say the comments were racist instead saying they were "wrong".

Only after the Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, tweeted to say the comments were "racist", did Sunak's spokesman eventually say the same. At PMQs, Sunak added: "The alleged comments were wrong, they were racist, he has rightly apologised for them and that remorse should be accepted."

The Prime Minister's denied he would return the money, with his press secretary saying: "I would point you to his [Hester's] actions. He has donated to the most diverse Cabinet in British history."

What has Keir Starmer said?

At PMQs, Starmer accused Sunak of lacking courage, asking: "Is the Prime Minister proud to be bankrolled by someone using racist and misogynistic language when he says the Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Abbott) ‘makes you want to hate all black women?'” On hearing about the reported additional £5m donation, Starmer told LBC: "There's only one answer to returning that money. It's a test for Rishi Sunak. He's failing that test. And if this report is true, I think it raises serious questions about what his real motivation is in clinging on to that money."

Ralph Blackburn is NationalWorld’s politics editor based in Westminster, where he gets special access to Parliament, MPs and government briefings. If you liked this article you can follow Ralph on X (Twitter) here and sign up to his free weekly newsletter Politics Uncovered, which brings you the latest analysis and gossip from Westminster every Sunday morning.