Watch as Rishi Sunak faced Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, 13 March.
The week’s PMQs touched on a Tory donor’s alleged racist remarks against Diane Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving black MP.
The Guardian reported Frank Hester, chief executive of The Pheonix Partnership (TPP), made his comments during a company meeting in 2019, where he said: “It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like… 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.
“(The executive) and Diane Abbott need to be shot.”
TPP said Mr Hester “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbot” but claims his criticism “had nothing to do with her gender or colour of skin.”
The healthcare software firm also claimed that Mr Hester phoned Ms Abbott twice in an effort to apologise personally.
In a statement released to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Ms Abbott said: “It is frightening.”
Sir Keir has given his support to Ms Abbott and urged the Conservatives to return the £10m donation Mr Hester gave to the party last year.
Speaking to ITV’s Lorraine on Tuesday, Sir Keir said: “I’m sorry, this apology this morning that pretends what was said was not racist or was not anything to do with the fact she is a woman… I don’t buy that, I’m afraid.”
After declining to label the comments as racist, a spokesperson for Mr Sunak then said: “The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong.
“He has now rightly apologised for the offence caused and where remorse is shown it should be accepted.”
