The Tories have accepted another £5 million from a businessman who said Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and “should be shot”, it has been confirmed.
Figures released this morning by the Electoral Commission showed the payments from Frank Hester’s company, the Phoenix Partnership, in January.
Hester also gave the party £10m last year, making him the Conservatives’ biggest donor.
The Guardian reported in March that Hester had made the comments in 2019.
After ministers initially refused to condemn him, a No10 spokesman eventually said in a statement: “The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong.”
The revelation that the Tories accepted a further £5 million from the businessman has re-ignited calls for them to hand back all of the money he has given them.
Diane Abbott said the latest Hester donation was “an insult to me and all black women”.
Labour chair Anneliese Dodds said: “Rishi Sunak has proven he is a man with no integrity.
“He is too weak to return the money donated by a man who has made violent, misogynist, and racist remarks which belong nowhere near our politics.
“If Rishi Sunak had a backbone he’d have cut ties with Frank Hester months ago, returned the money and apologised properly to Diane Abbott.”
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “How low can Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives go? If the Conservatives spend this money they will be proudly funded by a man who made the most appalling racist and sexist comments.
“Ultimately the buck stops with Rishi Sunak. Sunak must personally intervene and make sure not a penny of this money is spent.”
Asked by LBC’s Nick Ferrari this morning if the Tories would give back the money, work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said: “These aren’t questions for me on your radio programme.
“But all I can say is the kind of remarks that were made were totally and utterly unacceptable.”
HuffPost UK has contacted the Conservative Party for comment.