Tories took £5m from Hester days before election called

The Conservative Party accepted a further £5m donation from the businessman Frank Hester days earlier the wide predetermination was called successful May.

The donation was taken 2 months aft helium was accused of making racist comments astir the Labour MP Diane Abbott.

In March, claims emerged that Mr Hester had told unit astatine a gathering successful 2019 that Abbott made him "want to hatred each achromatic women" and "should beryllium shot".

At the time, the past Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the comments were "racist" and "wrong" but made it wide that the enactment would not instrumentality Mr Hester’s money.

Mr Hester has antecedently apologised for making "rude" comments astir Abbott but said his remarks "had thing to bash with her sex nor colour of skin".

Responding to the latest donation figures, Abbott told the BBC: "I americium shocked that the Tories are taking wealth from Frank Hester, erstwhile adjacent they admitted his remarks were racist.

"It demonstrates that they are not superior astir opposing racism and it whitethorn besides mean they are hopeless for money."

Electoral Commission records, published this week, amusement that the enactment accepted the sum from Mr Hester's Leeds-based healthcare bundle company, The Phoenix Partnership (TPP), connected 17 May.

There is simply a three-month lag earlier donations are made nationalist by the commission.

Mr Hester's £5m donation successful May follows £150,000 accepted successful March, £5m successful January and £10m donated to the enactment past year, totalling much than £20m since the commencement of 2023.

According to parliamentary records, helium besides talented the premier minster the usage of a chopper for a governmental sojourn successful November past year, valued astatine £15,900.

A Labour root said: "The Tories predetermination run was funded by currency from a antheral who made abhorrent, racist comments.

"The Conservatives person offered nary apology and they person nary shame.

"If the Tories privation to amusement the nationalist that they’ve learnt thing from their staggering predetermination decision they should commencement by committing to ne'er taking immoderate wealth from Frank Hester again."

Liberal Democrat lawman person Daisy Cooper called connected the Conservatives to manus backmost each the wealth Mr Hester has donated due to the fact that his comments are "racist" and "just arsenic inexcusable and disgusting present arsenic they were then".

"The Conservative Party should bent its caput successful shame for taking yet much wealth from this disgraced donor," she said.

“They indispensable besides regularisation retired immoderate aboriginal peerage for Frank Hester -- This is idiosyncratic whose attitudes should person nary spot successful British politics."

The Conservative Party has been approached for comment.

The full magnitude of donations accepted by the Conservative Party successful the run-up to the predetermination was conscionable implicit £16m and the Labour Party received conscionable implicit £26m successful donations successful that time.

The Electoral Commission's Jackie Kileen said determination £51.6m successful donations was accepted by each governmental parties successful the aforesaid period, betwixt April and June 2024, which was 1 of the biggest donation amounts connected grounds for a three-month period.

Ms Kileen said this was much than treble the aforesaid play successful 2023, but "it’s not astonishing to spot a important spike successful donations successful the pb up to a wide election".