PM says Tory donor has shown 'remorse' as he resists calls to return cash

1. Rishi Sunak has resisted calls during PMQs to hand back £10m donated to the Conservative Party by businessman Frank Hester
2. Speaking in the Commons, the PM condemned the reported remarks by Hester about MP Diane Abbott as "racist" and "wrong" but insisted he had shown "remorse"
3. Labour has called on the Conservatives to give the money back, and Sir Keir Starmer pressed the PM on the issue at PMQs
4. "Is the prime minister proud to be bankrolled by someone using racist and misogynist language?" Starmer asked
5. Sunak said Hester had apologised "genuinely" and accused Starmer of "double standards"
6. Earlier Andy Street, the Conservatives' West Midlands mayor, said he would have given the money back it if were his decision
7. Hester allegedly said Abbott made him want to "hate all black women"

That's all for today

We're now closing our live coverage. Thanks for joining us.

For a write-through of today's developments, click here. Our Political Editor Chris Mason explores here how the Conservatives' response to Frank Hester's alleged comments is another example of a political party struggling to deal with a controversy in its own ranks.

Stepping away from that row, our Political Correspondent Iain Watson notes how a new attack line for Labour against the Conservatives has opened up - the ambition mentioned by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt during last week's Budget to remove National Insurance.

This page was edited by Alex Therrien, Nadia Ragozhina, Nathan Williams and Johanna Chisholm, and was written by Barbara Tasch, Ali Abbas Ahmadi, Emily Atkinson, Jacqueline Howard and Chas Geiger with the help of our correspondents in Westminster.

How donor row developed over the day

Reuters

We're soon going to be closing our live coverage of today's political news. But before we do, here's a recap of the main developments today:

• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer challenged Rishi Sunak multiple times during Prime Minister's Questions to return the money given by Conservative donor Frank Hester, asking the prime minister when he would "pluck up" the courage to do so
• The PM accused Starmer of "double standards" when it came to the use of language, citing past remarks made by senior Labour figures, including deputy leader Angela Rayner who once referred to Conservatives as "scum"
• Sunak repeated several times that Hester had issued a genuine apology, and that his remorse should be accepted
• Abbott tried to ask a question during PMQs but was not selected by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle - a decision she criticised, saying he wasn't serving the "interests of the Commons or democracy"
• The Speaker's office maintained that there was simply "not enough time" to call all MPs
• Earlier in the day, Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake suggested the Conservatives would continue to accept donations from Hester, "on the basis that we don't believe Mr Hester is a racist"
• However, Conservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said he would personally have returned the funds, telling the BBC: "I would think about the company I kept"
• The Scottish Tories also broke ranks with No 10, calling Hester's alleged comments - in which he is reported to have said Abbott made him want to "hate all black women" - "racist and wrong" and urged the UK party to "carefully review" the donations it had received from the businessman
• Mr Hester's company has 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".

BBC Verify

Tamara Kovacevic

Fact-checking Sunak’s claim about Starmer and Hizb ut-Tahrir

Returning back to Prime Minister's Questions, during an exchange with Keir Starmer about the donation by Frank Hester to the Conservatives, Rishi Sunak said: “I’m not going to take any lectures from somebody who chose to represent an antisemitic terrorist group Hizb ut-Tahrir.”

The controversial Islamist group was banned by the government this January for “actively promoting and encouraging terrorism, including praising and celebrating” the 7 October Hamas attacks.

In 2008, Keir Starmer – who was then a barrister – was one of a team of lawyers who submitted an unsuccessful appeal to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was trying to overturn a ban in Germany. The group was not banned in the UK at the time.

The Labour leader’s spokesperson said Starmer did not represent the organisation in court and that, as a lawyer, he “had to represent people whose views he doesn’t agree with”.

They also said that, as director of public prosecutions, he “oversaw the first ever prosecution of senior Al-Qaeda terrorists”.

Speaker's Office defends decision not to let Abbott ask question

The Speaker's Office has defended Sir Lindsay Hoyle's decision not to call MP Diana Abbott to ask a question at PMQs.

A spokesman for the Speaker's Office said there was "not enough time" to call all MPs and that for fairness MPs selected from either side of the House on an alternating basis.

"This takes place within a limited timeframe, with the chair prioritising members who are already listed on the Order Paper.

"This week - as is often the case - there was not enough time to call all members who wanted to ask a question."

PMQs is expected to run for 30 minutes, though it has been known for the occupant in the Speaker's chair to allow it to run longer so that more MPs get a chance to speak. Sessions under John Bercow sometimes surpassed the 50-minute mark.

As we mentioned, Abbott criticised the decision not to let her talk, saying the Speaker was neither serving "the interest of the Commons or democracy".

Abbott criticises Speaker for not picking her to talk at PMQs

Reuters

Diane Abbott has criticised Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle after he failed to select her to ask a question at Prime Minister's Questions earlier.

The MP, who was the target of comments allegedly made by a Tory donor that have widely been condemned as racist, tweeted: "I don't know whose interests the Speaker thinks he is serving. But it is not the interests of the Commons or democracy."

As we reported, much of PMQs centred around whether Rishi Sunak would return the money donated by Frank Hester.

BBC Verify

Robert Cuffe

Was Starmer right about National Insurance?

Earlier in PMQs, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer challenged the prime minister about his government's aim to do away with National Insurance, saying 80% of National Insurance was spent on social security and pensions and 20% on the NHS. He asked whether Rishi Sunak would be cutting pensions or the NHS.

The Labour leader is correct that there is a theoretical separation between money raised from National Insurance and other taxes.

About 19% is allocated to the NHS and the rest goes to the National Insurance Fund, which spends its money on contributory benefits such as pensions.

But independent think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies says that separation of tax revenue is "more or less meaningless".

That's because when there is not enough in the fund to pay for those benefits it will be topped up from other tax money, and if there is a surplus that will go in the general government coffers.

Watch: MPs clash over whether Sunak should return Hester's £10m donation

One of the big questions directed at Rishi Sunak during PMQs earlier was whether the Conservatives would hand back the £10m in donations the party received from Frank Hester over the past year.

Watch the moment here where Tory MP Bob Seely and Labour's shadow environment minister Steve Reed clash over the issue on BBC Radio 4's World At One programme.

MPs clash over whether Tory party should return cash over race row

BBC Verify

Lucy Gilder

More people receiving cancer treatment, but waiting times at record high

During PMQs the prime minister spoke of the government’s record on cancer treatment.

“We are investing in more oncologists, radiologists and community diagnostic centres, which are contributing to cancer treatment being at record levels," he said.

In November 2023 – the latest NHS figures – there were 1,659 clinical oncologists compared to 1,033 in November 2010.

The latest figures also show that there are about 2,200 more clinical radiologists now than in 2010.

The government says there will be a total of 160 Community Diagnostic Centres in England by the end of this month.

Last year, record numbers of people were tested for cancer in England but cancer treatment waiting times were the worst on record.

What were the key moments at PMQs?

UK Parliament

We've now had a chance to step back and parse through some of the top lines from PMQs this morning, and in case you need a quick refresher before heading into the afternoon, here they are:

• Rishi Sunak dodged calls to hand back the £10m donation given to the Conservative Party by Frank Hester - a businessman who reportedly said MP Diane Abbott made him want to "hate all black women"

• Sir Keir Starmer asked the PM if he was "proud to be bankrolled by someone using racist and misogynist language", while SNP Commons leader Stephen Flynn accused Sunak of putting “money before morals”
• Sunak responded by saying Hester's alleged comments were "racist" and "wrong", and that his apology and remorse should be accepted
• Abbott was seen standing up to express her desire to speak - but the Independent MP was never called upon
• Attention later turned to the Budget, with Starmer asking whether it would be cuts to the NHS budget or to pensions that would fund the new 2p cut to National Insurance - which Sunak accused him of being against

• The Rwanda migrant plans were raised twice, with Sunak insisting both times that he will not let "a foreign court" - the European Court of Human Rights - block his ability to send people there
• Responding to a question on the Israel-Gaza war, Sunak said the UK is "doing everything we can" to bring aid into the Gaza Strip

Scottish Tories urge UK party to review donations from Hester

One of the fallouts since PMQs wrapped is the news that the Scottish Conservative Party has broken ranks with the Tories in response to the Frank Hester affair.

In a statement released this afternoon, a spokesperson for the party called Hester's [alleged] comments "racist and wrong".

“The Scottish Conservative Party has never accepted a donation from Frank Hester and the UK Conservative Party should carefully review the donations it has received from Hester in response to his remarks.”

BBC Verify

Daniel Wainwright, data journalist

How big a donor is Frank Hester?

There have been calls for the Conservatives to return the money they were given last year by a donor accused of making racist remarks.

In 2023, Frank Hester and his company donated just over £10m to the Conservatives, according to Electoral Commission data.

That made up more than 20p in every pound of donations registered by the central Conservative party that year.

Hester made a £5m donation in his own name and other individual donations came via his Phoenix Partnership in Leeds.

The Conservatives’ biggest single donor in 2023 was Lord John Sainsbury, who left the party a total of £10,201,685 in his will.

Another major donor was Mohamed Younes Mansour, who gave £5m.

Sunak says extremists try to 'hijack our society'

UK Parliament

Let's take you back to the beginning of PMQs, which Labour MP Afzal Khan kicked off by asking the prime minister to look at "stamping out" extremism, racism and islamophobia out of his own party at a time when Tories "are peddling far-right conspiracy theories" and to "finally take Islamophobia seriously" before coming up with new definitions of extremism.

Sunak replied saying that discrimination "has no place in our society" and that it is important to distinguish between strongly felt political debate and unacceptable acts of intimidation.

He says it is a sensitive subject to address because there has been a rise in extremists who try “to hijack our society”.

Sunak then takes a jibe at Labour, and says that when Khan "talks about peddling conspiracy theories, I would just like to point him in the direction of his previous Labour candidate in Rochdale".

PM faces discomfort as he's challenged from within his party

Iain Watson

Political correspondent

This wasn’t the most comfortable PMQs for Rishi Sunak. He would have expected attacks from the opposition parties on Frank Hester’s donations.

Nonetheless, having denounced alleged comments by the donor as "racist" and "wrong", he wouldn’t hand back the £10m his party had received.

It was the SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn who pointed out how Hester had apologised for rudeness, and not for alleged racism.

But the real discomfort came from the fact that some of Sunak’s own MPs were implicitly or explicitly critical of him on other issues, too.

Dame Andrea Jenkyns wanted a commitment to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (or hold a referendum on it) - something Sunak wants to resist.

And Mark Francois raised defence spending, somehow managing to get an unhelpful, unflattering parallel with Neville Chamberlain in to his question.

"Friendly" fire, especially at PMQS, is not really what Sunak will want or need in an election year.

Watch: Sunak says Tory donor has shown remorse

Earlier during PMQs, we heard Prime Minister Rishi Sunak get grilled by Sir Keir Starmer about returning the £10m donation from Frank Hester.

Watch here as the prime minister responds by saying that Hester has shown "remorse" for his comments.

Starmer: Is PM proud to be bankrolled by man using racist words?

Sunak refuses to hand back £15k for helicopter trip

Catching up on a question during PMQs, Labour's Marsha de Cordova says Sunak "shamefully" took more than 24 hours to condemn Hester's alleged comments as racist.

In November, she goes on, the PM accepted a £15,000 donation from Hester for the use of a helicopter. Will he repay it?

No, says Sunak. He says Hester is backing one of most diverse governments in history, with the first British Asian PM.

Finally, Mark Francois, Tory MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, notes that before World War Two, Britain's leadership did not introduce improved funding for the armed forces "until too late".

He asks, with Russia invading Ukraine, China threatening to invade Taiwan, and the Houthis attacking British shipping in the Red Sea, if the PM could reassure him and the House that "we are not going to forget the lessons of history and make the same mistake again".

Sunak says Francois is "right to champion" the armed forces.

He adds that Britain is "respected and valued" by its allies and will do whatever it takes to "keep things safe".

'UK doing everything we can' to bring aid into Gaza, says Sunak

Labour MP Rachael Maskell notes the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and says the prime minister's current plan is not working. She asks if he will change track and work to secure a bilateral immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Sunak says he has repeatedly expressed increasing concerns over the growing humanitarian crisis, noting that not nearly enough aid is getting through.

But, he says, the UK is playing a leading role in alleviating the suffering of Gazans, and "we are doing everything we can" to bring aid into Gaza.

Sunak says UK discussing EU electronic border system with counterparts

Natalie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover, says urgent decisions are needed on a new EU electronic border system. Key details have still not be decided, she says, adding that there are fears over the impact this will have on Kent.

She asks for reassurance that this issue is being taken seriously and whether funding and support will be made available to the region.

Sunak says the UK is discussing the issue with EU and French counterparts.

Sarah Olney highlights sewage in London's rivers

Lib Dem Sarah Olney says under this government, Thames Water has dumped more than 72bn litres of sewage into London's rivers, while racking up multi-billion pound debts.

So, she asks, will Thames Water still exist by the end of the year?

Sunak says he can't comment on individual companies, but the government has an ambitious plan to deal with storm overflows, backed by £60bn of investment and unlimited penalties for companies that breach the rules.

He adds that the independent regulator and Environment Agency have the powers they need.

Abbott had a clear desire to speak - but denied opportunity

Chris Mason

Political editor

A shake of the head from Diane Abbott as the Speaker calls the final question - indicating she will not be called.

The Commons has had an extensive conversation about Abbott, without hearing from the Independent MP herself — despite her clear desire to speak.

As PMQs finishes, both Stephen Flynn, the SNP Westminster leader, and Keir Starmer have gone to the back of the chamber to talk to her, as have a succession of Labour backbenchers.