{"id":1684,"date":"2024-03-12T09:46:30","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T09:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/tory-donor-accused-of-racist-diane-abbott-remarks\/"},"modified":"2024-03-12T09:46:30","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T09:46:30","slug":"tory-donor-accused-of-racist-diane-abbott-remarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/tory-donor-accused-of-racist-diane-abbott-remarks\/","title":{"rendered":"Tory donor accused of racist Diane Abbott remarks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tory donor accused of racist Diane Abbott remarks<\/p>\n

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\"Diane<\/picture><\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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By Paul Seddon<\/div>\n
Politics reporter, BBC News<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A major Tory donor has apologised after reportedly saying MP Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Guardian reports that Frank Hester made the remarks about the then-shadow home secretary during a 2019 meeting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Hester, who runs a health tech firm and gave the Tories \u00a310m last year, admitted making “rude” comments about her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But he said his remarks “had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Energy Minister Graham Stuart said Mr Hester’s comments were “clearly wrong”, but warned against “cancelling anyone who has ever said anything”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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When asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme if the Conservatives should hand back Mr Hester’s donations, Mr Stuart said he was not sure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He said: “Diane Abbott has suffered horribly on social media. What we need is a politics which shows more kindness and understanding of each other, not the vile polarisation we’ve seen in which people are denigrated and attacked.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Speaking in the Commons, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: “This is utterly revolting, racist, and inciteful language. It has no place in our politics and public life.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Hester is the founder and chief executive of TPP, a Leeds-based company that specialises in providing healthcare technology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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One of the Conservative Party’s biggest donors, he donated \u00a35m to the party last year, with a further \u00a35m donated through his company.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In November, he gifted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the use of a helicopter for a political visit, valued at \u00a315,900, according to parliamentary records.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Guardian reported that he had made remarks about Ms Abbott while criticising a female executive at another organisation during a meeting at TPP’s headquarters in 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The newspaper reported that he went on to say: “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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“[The executive] and Diane Abbott need to be shot.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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At the time, Ms Abbott – who is currently suspended as a Labour MP – was shadow home secretary under former leader Jeremy Corbyn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The BBC has not heard a recording, or been able to independently verify the alleged remarks. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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‘Less safe’<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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In a statement, TPP said Mr 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”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It added: “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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“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. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“He wishes to make it clear that he regards racism as a poison which has no place in public life.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In response to a request by the BBC, a spokesperson for Mr Hester said the statement is not a confirmation of the alleged quotes in The Guardian. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Responding to the story on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Abbott said she was “quite upset” and felt “less safe”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Labour and the Liberal Democrats called on the Conservatives to return Mr Hester’s donations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A Conservative Party spokesperson 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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Ms Abbott, first elected in 1987, served in several shadow cabinet roles under former leader Mr Corbyn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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She was suspended as a Labour MP last year after saying Irish, Jewish and Traveller people were not subject to racism “all their lives”. She withdrew her remarks and apologised “for any anguish caused”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The party withdrew the whip, meaning she now sits as an independent, pending an investigation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Related Topics<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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