Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not return a £10 million donation made by a Conservative supporter who made “racist” comments about a black MP.
Multi-millionaire businessman Frank Hester, 57, gave the money to the party.
It later came out that Mr Hester OBE said Ms Diane Abbott, a former Labour MP who sits as an independent, makes you “want to hate all black women”.
He said “she should be shot”.
He admitted making “rude” comments about Ms Abbott.
But he claimed they had “nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
Mr Sunak told the House of Commons that Mr Hester’s “remorse should be accepted”.
He added: “The alleged comments were wrong; they were racist, he has rightly apologised for them, and that remorse should be accepted.
“There is no place for racism in Britain and the Government that I lead is living proof of that.”
Sir Keir Starmer latched onto the ill-advised comments.
He said it was clear Mr Sunak “won’t hand the money back”.
Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, accused Mr Sunak of “putting money before morals”.
Mr Sunak said:
“The comments were wrong, the gentleman in question has apologised for them and that remorse should be accepted.”
A statement from Mr Hester’s TPP company he said:
“He 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”.
The statement said Hester abhorred racism, “not least because he experienced it as the child of Irish immigrants in the 1970s”.
The statement added:
“He rang Diane Abbott twice 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.”
