Tories' biggest donor accused of saying Diane Abbott 'makes you want to hate all black women' and 'needs to be shot'
11 March 2024, 21:04
The Conservative Party's biggest donor allegedly told his colleagues that looking at Diane Abbott makes you "want to hate all black women".
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Frank Hester, who donated £10 million to the Tories in the past year, also said the former Labour MP "should be shot", according to The Guardian.
These comments were allegedly made by Mr Hester in 2019 at his firm's headquarters, The Phoenix Partnership (TPP).
Mr Hester, the founder and chief executive of TPP, a healthcare software firm, allegedly made the remarks about Ms Abbott as he criticised a female executive from another company.
He reportedly said: "She’s sh*t. She’s the sh*ttest person. Honestly, I try not to be sexist but when I meet somebody like [the executive], I just …
"It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like I hate, 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 executive] and Diane Abbott need to be shot. She's stupid … If we can get [the executive] being unprofessional we can get her sacked. It’s not as good as her dying. It would be much better if she died. She’s consuming resources. She's eating food that other people could eat. You know?"
Ms Abbott is both the first Black woman elected into parliament and the longest-serving Black MP.
Although still a member of Labour, she sits in the House of Commons as an Independent since having her whip suspended in April 2023.
Since Mr Hester's comments have been published, he has received a barrage of backlash, including from London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Speaking on LBC to Andrew Marr, the London mayor said he is "shocked" and "appalled", calling for for the Conservatives to return the millions of pounds.
"I can't believe, because we do in our party, that the Conservative Party didn't do due diligence about this guy.
"I also fail to believe if he doesn't apologise unequivocally, withdraw his comments, apologise to Diane Abbott, I don't see how the Conservatives can keep his money.
"I think there are serious questions about any political party, including my political party, who takes money from somebody with those sorts of views.
Sadiq Khan responds to Tory donor Frank Hester's Diane Abbott remarks
"And so, I'm hoping this man not only reflects on what he said but apologises unequivocally to Diane Abbott but also, makes it quite clear what his views currently are and if not, the Tories must return the money.", Mr Khan added.
In 2023, Mr Hester reportedly donated £5 million to the Conservatives in May and another £5 million to the party via TPP in November.
Other senior Labour members have also condemned the Tory donor, with Labour Party chairman Annelise Dodds saying the comments were "reprehensible".
She has also called for Rishi Sunak to hand back the donations.
Conservative MP Sir Bob Neil also criticised Mr Hester’s "stupid and offensive comments".
He said: "It may have been hyperbolic. That’s not the sort of language that you should use about anyone, frankly."
Much like Labour, the Liberal Democrats have also urged the Conservatives to return Mr Hester's donations but they also ruled out awarding him a peerage.
A Conservative spokesman 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."
Lawyers for TFP told The Guardian that the comments had been "taken out of context", were "distorted" and "did not accurately represent him or the company".
In a statement, TPP 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."
Mr Hester's comments about Ms Abbot are part of a broader investigation, where the Guardian also uncovered he reportedly called all of his "foreign" staff to a meeting to defend himself against racism allegations of former staff.
In said meeting, he allegedly 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."
He reportedly added: "I want to clear the air and make sure we all know where we are, what we stand for, and we take the piss out of the fact that all our Chinese girls sit together in Asian corner, which they do."
TPP’s lawyers said that the fact that Mr Hester donates so much to a party led by Britain's first Hindu prime minister, of Indian heritage, is evidence he embraces diversity.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph last month, he said his support for the prime minister comes because of Mr Sunak's interest in artificial intelligence.
