Senior members of the Conservative party are urging Rishi Sunak to give back the £10 million donation from Frank Hester. There is growing unease over Hester’s remarks towards Diane Abbott, which have been strongly criticized for being both racist and misogynistic.
Some members of the Conservative party spoke out against the donation and urged for it to be given back. During a session in Parliament, Sunak stated that Hester had apologized for his comments and that his regret should be acknowledged.
However, Keir Starmer criticized the prime minister for not standing up to the first obstacle in his self-proclaimed mission to address extremism. The allocation of the £10m was also met with scrutiny by Andy Street, the conservative mayor of West Midlands, and the Scottish Conservatives.
Some members of the Conservative party have secretly raised concerns about Sunak’s stance. One prominent member contacted party leaders to express their belief that the funds should be returned.
The Guardian reported on Monday that, in a 2019 meeting, Hester expressed that seeing Abbott made one feel the desire to hate all black women and even went as far as saying the MP should be shot. The situation was made worse by the fact that it took more than 24 hours for Downing Street to acknowledge the racism in Hester’s words. As a result, Sunak may face continuous inquiries about the financial aspect of the issue.
The Conservative party’s concern about losing a significant amount of their election funds is causing them to resist giving in to No 10’s demands. However, there is a growing worry that this approach may not be viable in the long term.
Street was the initial high-ranking Conservative member to request for the sum of £10m to be given back. During an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he stated, “I would reconsider the individuals I associated with and return that money.”
Chris Patten, a member of the Conservative party and a previous member of the cabinet during the terms of John Major and Margaret Thatcher, stated that there seemed to be no alternative solution. Patten expressed his perspective on the matter, stating, “If he has made racially charged comments, it is difficult to justify accepting a large sum of money from him.” He also mentioned that others, such as Andy Street, have voiced similar opinions and believes that resolving the situation quickly would be beneficial.
According to Sayeeda Warsi, a former chair of the Conservative Party and member of the House of Lords, election campaigns funded by donors who make racist and offensive remarks pose a danger.
The Scottish Conservatives have stated that the comments made are “racist and incorrect”. They believe the UK party should thoroughly review any donations given by Hester due to his remarks.
While engaged in a loud session of prime minister’s questions, Sunak stated that Hester’s apology should bring closure to the issue. He drew comparisons to actions by the Labour party, such as Starmer’s past representation of the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir during his time as a lawyer.
The leader of the Labour party questioned Sunak about his support from someone who uses hateful and discriminatory language, and compared the lack of response from the PM regarding the donation to his recent speech addressing extremism.
Starmer criticized him for declaring himself the great healer and claiming to bring unity, while also remaining silent when his campaign supporter suggested shooting the member for Hackney North, Abbott. He stumbled over his words and resorted to tricky statements in hopes that the situation would blow over.
Lee Anderson, who defected to Reform UK on Monday after losing the Tory whip, told GB News that the public would want “consistency”.
The individual stated that they left the party and had their authority revoked as a consequence. They chose not to apologize and stood by their belief that they would not apologize and return to the party, citing inconsistencies with the donor.
A sum of 10 million pounds is beneficial for the party, which is acceptable. However, it’s important to maintain consistency because inconsistency undermines trust until it is consistently upheld.
When asked about Hester’s statements while appearing in front of the Treasury select committee, chancellor Jeremy Hunt argued that it would be unjust for Hester to face consequences for his remarks, as he had already apologized for them.
When questioned by Labour MP Angela Eagle about the possibility of the Conservatives returning the money, Hunt responded by saying that he does not think a person should be punished for a previous comment as long as they have acknowledged and apologized for it. However, he does not condone the comments and recognizes their deplorable nature.
When asked by Eagle about the lack of consequences for being wealthy, Hunt replied, “I believe the repercussions for his actions have been quite substantial in terms of public humiliation.”
A survey conducted on Tuesday by 38 Degrees, an advocacy organization, revealed that over 60% of individuals believe that “mainstream political parties should refrain from accepting donations from individuals who have been identified as having made racist or offensive comments”.
Abbott, the United Kingdom’s black MP with the longest tenure, is currently serving as an independent member after being dismissed from the Labour party for downplaying the severity of anti-Semitism. During PMQs, Abbott attempted to ask her own question to Sunak, but was not selected by the speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, resulting in audible dissatisfaction from other MPs in the House of Commons.
“After facing backlash for his previous comments about Diane Abbott, Hester from TPP has acknowledged his rudeness in a past private meeting but clarified that his criticism was not based on her gender or ethnicity. His company’s statement also emphasized Hester’s strong stance against racism, citing his personal experience as a child of Irish immigrants in the 1970s.”
The statement included: “He called Diane Abbott two times [on Monday] in an effort to apologize directly for the harm he has caused her. He expresses sincere regret for his comments. He wants it to be known that he views racism as a damaging force that should not be tolerated in the public sphere.”
Source: theguardian.com
