Frank Hester: Tory donor apologises to ex-Labour MP Diane Abbott after saying she made him 'want to hate all black women'

Major Tory donor Frank Hester has apologised to former Labour MP Diane Abbott after he made "rude" and "reprehensible" comments about her.

In comments first reported by The Guardian, Mr Hester, who is the chief executive of The Phoenix Group which donated £10m to the Tory party last year, reportedly remarked of the ex-Labour politician: "It's like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you're just like… 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."

The comments about Abbott, who is currently suspended from the Labour Party, were allegedly made during a 2019 meeting at his company's headquarters in Leeds. The businessman has posted an apology on social media following their publication.

A spokesperson for Mr Hester said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): "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 1970s."

Get our Politics newsletter - bringing you the gossip from inside the corridors of power The statement added: "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."

His comments were roundly criticised by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, with both parties calling on the Conservatives to return Mr Hester's party donations following the revelation. According to records held by the Electoral Commission, the party donor had given £10m to the Tories in 2023, with £5m from his own personal wealth and £5m from his business The Phoenix Group.

Anneliese Dodds, the chair of the Labour Party, said: "These comments are reprehensible. Frank Hester is the Conservative Party's biggest ever donor, as well as a personal donor to the prime minister, it is therefore vital that Rishi Sunak and the Tories return his donations, in full without delay.

"Rishi Sunak has claimed that 'words matter', and he must know that holding on to that money would suggest the Conservatives condone these disturbing comments. Sunak must return every penny."

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."