Diane Abbott: Police investigate Tory donor alleged race comments

West Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation into alleged racist comments made by a top Tory donor.

Officers are investigating after Frank Hester reportedly said Diane Abbott, the UK's longest-serving black MP, made him "want to hate all black women".

The Guardian alleged the Leeds businessman, who has given £10m to the Tories, also said she "should be shot".

The force said it is working to establish if "a crime has been committed".

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Mr Hester has apologised for making "rude" comments about the former-Labour MP but said his remarks "had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin".

He allegedly made the remarks about Ms Abbott while criticising a female executive at another organisation during a meeting at his company's headquarters in Leeds in 2019.

The Guardian reported that he went on to say: "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."

Frank Hester apologised over the alleged comments

Ms Abbott, who has been suspended by Labour and now sits as an independent MP, reported the comments to the Metropolitan Police on 11 March and the London force passed it on to West Yorkshire.

She has previously called the comments "frightening" adding the "fact that two MPs have been murdered in recent years makes talk like this all the more alarming".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called the comments "racist" and "wrong".

Asked about whether he should return the donations in the light of the police investigation, Mr Sunak said: "It wouldn't be right for me to comment on police matters."

Mr Hester is one of the biggest ever Conservative donors. The party has refused to comment on reports that the party is sitting on £5m more than previously known - which would take his total contribution to £15m over the past year.

He is the founder and chief executive of TPP, a Leeds-based health tech company that is a supplier of records management systems to the NHS.