Rishi Sunak has said he will not hand back money from the Conservative party’s biggest donor, who said Diane Abbott should be shot, because the businessman is “genuinely contrite”.
A caller during an LBC phone-in asked the prime minister about Frank Hester’s remarks about the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP.
The Guardian revealed Hester had said during a meeting in 2019 that Abbott made him want to “hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”. After the report, Abbott made a complaint to the Metropolitan police.
Hester, who has given more than £15m to the Tories directly or through his company, is also alleged to have referred to a staff member as the “token Muslim”, imitated people of Chinese descent and remarked that one individual was attractive for a black woman, according to former employees who spoke to the Guardian.
Hester apologised for the Abbott comments, which were widely condemned as racist and misogynistic, but did not respond to requests to comment on other claims.
On Wednesday, an LBC caller told the prime minister: “Just saying he’s apologised isn’t going to cut it.”
Sunak appeared to insinuate that there was an equivalence between Hester and some remarks Abbott has made, as he said Abbott herself had made “some comments in the past that were not appropriate but she apologised for those and was readmitted back into the Labour party”.
“Maybe we disagree on this, but I believe if people are genuinely contrite … that should be accepted,” Sunak told the caller.
“I do think that in life if you made a mistake and honestly apologised and learned from it, as a society if that is something we can come together on, [that] is important.”
The accusations against Hester had piled pressure on Sunak after it was confirmed that the donor had given a further £5m to the Tories through his healthcare tech company, the Phoenix Partnership (TPP). It brings the total donated by Hester to more than £15m in a year.
This equates to more than 40% of the total national spending limit for each party in the general election.
Sunak is yet to comment on the latest allegations of comments made by Hester about race or religion in the workplace or on work trips.
After the Guardian reported details of claims by former employees about his workplace behaviour, Sunak was asked by a reporter while on a campaign visit in Wiltshire earlier this month if Hester should apologise for the latest alleged remarks. He declined to comment.
A Conservative spokesperson said Hester had “rightly apologised for comments made in the past”. Hester issued an apology for “rude” remarks about Abbott, denying they were motivated by race or gender, and saying he “abhorred racism”. All of the latest allegations were put to Hester. He did not respond to the claims.
After Sunak skipped a key part of the D-day commemorations, the Liberal Democrats urged him to donate money Hester had given them to a veterans’ charity.
Ed Davey said Sunak’s snub of a key international D-day event was “a letdown for our whole country”.
On a campaign visit to Victoria Park in Newbury, Berkshire, the Lib Dem leader told broadcasters: “I’ve felt pretty cross about this. I’ve talked to veterans and they feel quite angry. So, I think they need to do more.
“I think the Conservative party should give £5m of that donation to a veterans’ charity. I think if they did that, then people might be able to draw the line.”
