By NewsBlogger The Conservative Party’s biggest donor, Frank Hester, is facing backlash for controversial comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott, prompting calls for Tories to return his donations.
At a glance
- Frank Hester, Conservative Party’s biggest donor, made controversial comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott.
- Due to his offensive remarks, Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds called for the Tories to return Hester’s donations.
- Tory MP Sir Bob Neil condemned Hester’s remarks as “stupid and offensive”, while the Liberal Democrats demanded the return of his donations.
- Hester’s firm, TPP, stated that his comments were taken out of context and did not accurately represent him or the company.
- Former Downing Street adviser Samuel Kasumu called on Hester to use his wealth to fight racism and criticized his comments as “reprehensible”.
The details
The Conservative Party’s biggest donor, Frank Hester, has been criticized for making controversial comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott.
Hester reportedly stated that looking at Diane Abbott makes you “want to hate all black women” and also allegedly said that Abbott “should be shot”. Hester, who has donated £10m to the Conservatives in the past year, found himself in hot water after his remarks were made public.
Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds has called for the Tories and Chancellor Rishi Sunak to return Hester’s donations in light of his offensive comments.
Tory MP Sir Bob Neil condemned Hester’s remarks as “stupid and offensive”, while the Liberal Democrats demanded that the Tories return Hester’s donations and rule out awarding him a peerage.
Lawyers for Hester’s firm, TPP, have stated that his comments were taken out of context and did not accurately represent him or the company.
Hester himself issued an apology to Diane Abbott for his remarks, emphasizing that his interest in artificial intelligence drove his donations to the Tories.
It is worth noting that Hester was given an OBE in 2015 for his healthcare services.
Meanwhile, Diane Abbott has been a target of disproportionate abuse compared to other MPs, highlighting the challenges faced by black politicians in the UK.
TPP, a major client of which is the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care, has been paid over £440m by the government, NHS, and local authorities since 2016. The company prides itself on celebrating diversity in the workplace and hiring the best people for the job.
Former Downing Street adviser Samuel Kasumu has weighed in on the controversy, calling on Hester to use his wealth to fight racism.
Kasumu labeled Hester’s comments as “reprehensible” and stated that his apology was insufficient.
Kasumu credited Diane Abbott for paving the way for black politicians in the UK.
The Labour party has joined the chorus of criticism, urging the Tories to return Hester’s donations.
Kasumu and Labour party chair Annelise Dodd both condemned Hester’s comments as “completely abhorrent and unacceptable”. Hester’s firm released a statement clarifying that his criticism of Abbott was not based on gender or race, and Hester himself apologized to Abbott for his remarks, acknowledging racism as a poison that has no place in public life.
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| independent.co.uk |
|---|
| – Frank Hester, the Tories’ biggest donor, made controversial comments about Diane Abbott – Hester reportedly said looking at Diane Abbott makes you “want to hate all black women” – Hester also allegedly said that Abbott “should be shot” – Hester has donated £10m to the Conservatives in the past year – Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds called for the Tories and Rishi Sunak to return Hester’s donations – Sir Bob Neil called Hester’s comments “stupid and offensive” – Liberal Democrats called for the Tories to return Hester’s donations and rule out awarding him a peerage – Lawyers for TPP said Hester’s comments were taken out of context and did not accurately represent him or the company – Hester apologized to Diane Abbott for his remarks – Hester donated to the Tories because of his interest in artificial intelligence – Hester was given an OBE in 2015 for his services to healthcare – Diane Abbott has consistently received a disproportionate amount of abuse compared to other MPs – TPP’s main clients are the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care – TPP has been paid over £440m by the government, NHS, and local authorities since 2016 – TPP celebrates diversity in the workplace and hires the best people for the job – A Conservative spokesperson stated that Hester apologized for his comments and they were not related to gender or skin color. |
| independent.co.uk |
|---|
| – Former Downing Street adviser Samuel Kasumu says Conservative donor Frank Hester should use his wealth to fight racism – Hester allegedly made “reprehensible” comments about Diane Abbott in 2019 – Kasumu believes Hester’s apology was not enough – Kasumu credits Diane Abbott for paving the way for black politicians in the UK – Hester was the biggest donor to the Conservative party in 2023 – Labour party calls on the Tories to return Hester’s donations – Labour party chair Annelise Dodd condemns Hester’s comments as “reprehensible” – Kasumu agrees that Hester’s comments were “completely abhorrent and unacceptable” – Hester’s firm released a statement saying his criticism of Abbott was not based on gender or race – Hester apologized to Abbott and acknowledged racism as a poison that has no place in public life. |
