Police investigate Tory donor's alleged racist comments about Diane Abbott

Police are investigating alleged racist comments made by one of the Conservative Party's largest donors about former Labour MP Diane Abbott.

The remarks were reported to have been made by businessman Frank Hester during a company meeting, where he said Ms Abbott made him "want to hate all black women" and she "should be shot".

Mr Hester later said he was "deeply sorry" for the "rude" comments, but insisted they had "nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin".

It led to a major row in Westminster, with opposition MPs demanding the Conservatives return the £10m he and his company, The Phoenix Partnership, had donated to the party since 2019.

But despite saying the comments were racist, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stood by keeping the cash, with ministers saying he had apologised and everyone should "move on".

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said officers were "working to establish the facts and to ultimately ascertain whether a crime has been committed".

It comes after police in London were contacted on 11 March about a report in The Guardian.

The comments were said to have been made at a 2019 meeting.

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