Rishi Sunak has reportedly donated a further £5m to the Conservative Party, as pressure mounts over donations from Frank Hester, whose comments about Diane Abbott have been condemned as racist and misogynistic. There is.
With additional funding not rejected by the party or Downing Street, Mr Hester’s contributions to the Conservative Party coffers reached £15m in less than a year, more than the Conservatives spent in the entire 2019 general election campaign. The amount is almost the same.
The Guardian reported that Mr Hester’s software company had announced that Mr Hester had said at a meeting in 2019 that watching Mr Abbott on TV “just makes me want to hate all black women”. There have been concerns in some Conservative circles about whether he would be prepared to take money from him given his lucrative contracts for the NHS and prisons. ”.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said on Thursday that the donations should be “considered” by the party, while Tory colleague and former party chair Sayida Warsi said the donations should be returned. Stated.
Mr Hester also said Mr Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving black MP, “should be shot” and donated £5m to the Conservative Party in May 2023, with a further £5m himself. The donation was made through Phoenix Partnership, a company founded and solely owned. in November.
according to Go to Tortoise websitehe has donated a further £5 million, which will be confirmed in the next Electoral Commission contribution update due in early June.
A Conservative Party spokesperson declined to comment, saying only that “declarable donations are made public by the Electoral Commission in the normal way.” However, the Conservative Party and No. 10 party leaders did not try to refuse the donation.
If confirmed, the £15 million total would mean that Mr Hester alone has donated nearly the same amount as the party’s total of nearly £16.5 million spent on the entire 2019 campaign.
The Conservatives have overseen an increase in the total amount of spending allowed to each party from nearly £19m (which was set at £30,000 per contested seat) to around £34m, with spending likely to be significantly lower at the next election. It is expected to increase.
This means that few in the party expect Mr. Hester’s donation to be rejected. One former senior official at Conservative Party headquarters said: It’s just not happening. The amount was so large that they would have spent most of it. ”
However, this is not without risks. Speaking to reporters after Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Ross echoed calls from the Scottish Conservatives UK party to “carefully consider” the donations received from Mr Hester.
He said the comments were “racist, unacceptable and wrong”, adding: “I think political parties at UK level need to consider their donations.”
Asked whether the money should be returned, he said: “I think this should be considered. I think most people would think it would be fair to allow a review to review and investigate the situation.”
Mrs Warsi told Times Radio: If individuals hold these views, they will not organize campaigns or form political parties on the back of money. ”
Labor says Mr Sunak cannot accept Mr Hester’s money while he opposes extremism and hatred in politics, but Keir Starmer on Thursday said the Prime Minister would return such a large sum of money. said he did not expect it.
“This is a test for Rishi Sunak,” the Labor leader told LBC radio. “He’s failing that test. And if this report is true, I think it raises serious questions about what his real motivations are for holding on to that money in the current environment.”
Some campaign groups have also raised concerns about the financial dominance of the donor, whose company, Phoenix Partnership, has won more than £400m of public contracts over the past eight years.
Commenting on the current system where donors can also be government contractors, Tom Brake of Unlock Democracy said: “To avoid any suggestion of fraud, Conservative Party treasurers and individual MPs and constituency parties should should refuse donations from companies and individuals who have profited from them.” This is due to a government contract. ”
Hester’s company said in a statement Monday that Hester “acknowledges that he was rude to Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago, but his criticism has nothing to do with her gender or the color of her skin.” There was no such thing.”
Mr. Hester has been contacted for comment.
Labor Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said: ‘Frank Hester’s comments are patently racist and misogynistic and have no place in our politics. Conservative Party to receive additional funding from Frank Hester. There is absolutely no excuse for this. They should pay this off before it reaches the safe.
“Rishi Sunak needs to pay back every penny, cut ties with Frank Hester and apologize unequivocally to Diane Abbott.”
Liberal Democrat leader Wendy Chamberlain said: “The Conservative Party must urgently check whether these reports are true and, if so, return this tainted funding.”
“The Conservative Party has dragged its feet to condemn these racist comments for what they are. If it is in any way connected to this £5 million donation, then this scandal is a big deal for us. It’s going to show that it’s even worse than it was.”
