A top Tory donor allegedly said in 2019 that Diane Abbott makes you want to hate all black women and that she needed to be shot.
Cue, massive backlash. Media frenzy.
Frank Hester, who has given the Tories £10m in the last year, has said sorry for being rude…
A statement from his company read: “Frank Hester accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin.”
Patrick Christys has hit out at Rishi Sunak
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The Tories then send out a procession of ministers and high-ranking officials to say the donor is not really a racist.
The Labour Party are in full swing, despite the fact that Diane Abbott had the Labour whip removed…for denying racism against Jews, the Irish and Travellers…
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Anyway…Labour are calling for the Tories to hand back the £10m worth of donations from Frank Hester because he’s a racist and that money is tainted.
But, as we know, the Tories were taking the view that this wasn’t racism…
UNTIL! Step forward Kemi Badenoch, Equalities Minister and Business Secretary who said: “Hester’s 2019 comments, as reported, were racist. I welcome his apology.
“Abbott and I disagree on a lot. But the idea of linking criticism of her, to being a black woman is appalling.
Diane Abbott has been an MP since 1987PA
Rishi Sunak has responded to 'racist' comments aimed at Diane Abbott
PA“It’s never acceptable to conflate someone’s views with the colour of their skin.
“MPs have a difficult job balancing multiple interests -often under threats of intimidation as we saw recently in parliament.
“Some people make flippant comments without thinking of this context.
“This is why there needs to be space for forgiveness where there is contrition.”
And now, because he can’t be outmanoeuvred, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has piped up, saying: “The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong."
But he accepts his apology and wants everyone to move on.
But he hasn’t apologised for ‘being racist’, he’s apologised for being rude.
And tonight, the Met Police have confirmed that they were assessing the alleged incident after the initial report appeared in the Guardian.
Ms Abbott has not described Mr Hester’s comments as racist or misogynistic, but said in a statement tonight: “It is frightening...I am a single woman and that makes me vulnerable anyway. But to hear someone talking like this is worrying.
"For all of my career as an MP I have thought it important not to live in a bubble, but to mix and mingle with ordinary people. The fact that two MPs have been murdered in recent years makes talk like this all the more alarming.”
Well…Lee Anderson was booted out of the party recently for his Sadiq Khan comments, wasn’t he? He said his language about Sadiq Khan and Islamists was clumsy but he will not apologise…it begs the questions - if Lee Anderson gave £10m to Rishi Sunak, would he still have a job?
Rishi Sunak is happy to take the millions from a bloke who he thinks was racist, but would not back an MP who used ‘clumsy language’ about Sadiq Khan. Interesting…