Rishi Sunak says comments allegedly made by a Tory donor to MP Diane Abbott were “racist and wrong” after police confirmed they were investigating the matter of”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Sunak believed “there is no place for racism in public life”.
Shortly after his comments, the Metropolitan Police said it had been contacted about the Guardian’s report.
Frank Hurst, who donated £10m to the Conservative Party last year, allegedly said in 2019 that Ms Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that the politician “should be shot,” the newspaper reported. “.
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Mr. Hester afterwards stated that he was “Sorry” for the comment about the former Labor MP but said they had “nothing to do with her gender or the color of her skin”.
However, Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said: “Frank Hurst’s comments were allegedly racist and wrong. He has now apologized for the offense caused and should have accepted it if he showed remorse.”
“The Prime Minister is clear that racism has no place in public life and as the first British Asian Prime Minister to lead one of the most ethnically diverse Cabinets in our history, Britain is living proof of this fact.”
The statement came despite a spokesperson earlier in the day calling the comments “unacceptable” but not saying whether they believed they were racist.
Business Secretary Kemi Badnock. Image: PA
Commerce Secretary Kemi Badenock became the first cabinet minister to break ranks, calling the comments “racist” but adding there should be “room for forgiveness”.
Ms Badenock’s comments came after criticism from government ministers including Graham Stewart and Mel Stride, but Didn’t call them racists.
“Hester’s 2019 comments were reported to be racist. I welcome his apology,” the business secretary wrote in a post on X.
“Abbott and I disagree on a lot of things. But the idea of tying criticism of her to being a black woman is shocking.
“It is absolutely unacceptable to conflate someone’s views with the color of their skin.”
She added: “MPs face a difficult task balancing multiple interests – and as we have seen in Parliament recently, they are often threatened with intimidation.
“Some people make flippant comments without considering the context. That’s why there needs to be room for forgiveness where there is remorse.”
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: “On Monday 11 March we contacted officers from the Parliamentary Liaison and Investigations Group in relation to a report in the Guardian about an MP.
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“We are assessing the matter and liaising with West Yorkshire Police as the alleged incident is believed to have occurred in Leeds.
“Officers from the Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team remain in contact with MPs.”
according to Westminster Accounts ProjectMr Hester’s Phoenix Partnership, a joint venture between Sky News and Turtle Media that aims to shine a light on how money works in politics, has donated £5.1m to the Conservative Party since the 2019 general election, as well as a separate donation of £5m.
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Abbott’s comments allegedly ‘horrible’
The company also made a one-off donation of £15,900 to Mr Sunak. Dated December 11, 2023, the donation was classified as “support related to an MP but received indirectly by a local party organization or through a central party organization”.
In the register of members’ financial interests, the Prime Minister said the donation involved “providing [a] Helicopter took me to political visits and events on November 23, 2023.”
The Guardian reported that Mr Hester made the remarks about Ms Abbott at a meeting at the company’s headquarters in Leeds in 2019.
He reportedly said: “It’s like trying not to be racist, but you see Diane Abbott on TV and you’re like… you just want to hate all black women because she’s there.
“I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.”
read more:
Who is Conservative Party donor Frank Hurst? What did he reportedly say to Diane Abbott?
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Ms Abbott, the UK’s first black woman to become an MP, said in a statement on Tuesday that Mr Hester’s comments had raised eyebrows. Put her in a “terrible” situation She found the comments ‘shocking’ after politicians were murdered Joe Cox 2016 and Sir David Ames 2021.
Opposition parties have called on the Conservatives to return the funds donated by Mr Hester.
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