Labour leader Keir Starmer has strongly condemned the alleged comments made by a major Conservative donor about Diane Abbott, describing them as “abhorrent.” Starmer is calling on the Conservative Party to return the money donated by Frank Hester.
The reported remarks by Hester, who contributed £10m to the Tories in the past year, include a shocking statement that Abbott “should be shot,” as revealed in an investigation.
Additionally, Hester is accused of expressing discriminatory views by claiming that looking at Abbott makes you “want to hate all black women.”
Frank Hester, founder and chief executive of The Phoenix Partnership (TPP), has acknowledged that his comments were “rude.”
However, he maintained that they had “nothing to do with her gender nor color of skin.” The Labour leader, in defense of Abbott, hails her as a “trailblazer” who has inspired others.
The Conservatives have declined to label Mr. Hester’s comments as “racist,” with pensions minister Mel Stride stating, “I don’t think what he was saying was a gender-based or race-based comment.”
However, Labour leader Keir Starmer expressed a different view during an interview with ITV’s Lorraine.
He stated that he “does not buy” the assertion that the remarks were not “racist.” Starmer reiterated his condemnation of the comments, describing them as “abhorrent.”
“She has probably faced more abuse than any other politician over the years on a sustained basis. And I’m sorry, this apology this morning that pretends what was said was not racist or was not anything to do with the fact she is a woman… I don’t buy that, I’m afraid.”
Keir Starmer
In response to the unsavory remarks, Tory opponents demanded that the governing party return the monetary contributions made by Mr. Hester and his organization.
Adding to the calls, Sir Keir said, “I think it is time the Tory Party called it out and returned the money.”
Hester’s Alleged Remarks
An investigation alleged that the businessman, speaking about a female executive from another company, said: “She’s s***. She’s the s***test person. ”
“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.”
He added, “[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?”
However, a statement published by Mr Hester’s company said he “abhors racism, not least because he experienced it as the child of Irish immigrants in the 1970s”.
The statement added: “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.”
Diane Abbott, the first black woman to serve as an MP, faced suspension from the Labour Party in April last year. The disciplinary action was taken after she wrote a letter suggesting that Jewish people do not experience the same level of racism as some other minorities.
Having represented Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, Abbott is a trailblazing figure in British politics. Throughout her career, she has endured a disproportionately high amount of abuse compared to her parliamentary colleagues.
Notably, during the 2017 election, Amnesty International research revealed that Abbott was the target of nearly half the abuse directed at women MPs on X (formerly known as Twitter).
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