Tory donor race row threatens Speaker

Rishi Sunak has found himself at the centre of yet another row about racism, after it was alleged that a major Tory donor said a black female MP made him “just want to hate all black women”. The row also threatens to engulf the Speaker of the House of Parliament. Frank Hester, who has given the Conservatives £10 million in the last year, made the comments in 2019, when complaining about a female executive from a rival firm. According to The Guardian, he said: “It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV and you’re just like, I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.” Hester has apologised for being “rude” about Abbott but insisted he “abhors racism”. But the focus is less on the donor and more on what Sunak does.