Britain’s governing Conservative Party was under pressure Tuesday to return more than 10 million pounds to a donor who reportedly said that Diane Abbott, a prominent lawmaker, “should be shot,” and that looking at her made him “want to hate all Black women.”According to an investigation by The Guardian newspaper, Frank Hester, a health care technology entrepreneur, made the comments in 2019, at a meeting held at the offices of his company, The Phoenix Partnership.
He has apologized but has not confirmed the Guardian’s account of what he said.
Mr. Hester said on Monday that he “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbot in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor color of skin,” in a statement released by his firm that misspelled her last name.
The statement added that he had called Ms. Abbott twice “to try to apologize directly for the hurt he has caused her, and is deeply sorry for his remarks,” and that he wished “to make it clear that he regards racism as a poison which has no place in public life.”
Persons:
Diane Abbott, Frank Hester, Hester, “, Diane Abbot, Abbott, ”
Organizations:
Conservative Party, The Guardian, The Phoenix Partnership