in

Sunak refuses to reimburse Frank Hester for £15,000 helicopter ride donation

Rishi Sunak said he would not return a £15,000 donation from Frank Hester that funded a helicopter trip as a row over the Tory donor’s alleged comments about Diane Abbott continued.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (13 March), the prime minister said: “No… I am pleased [Mr Hester] is supporting a party that represents one of the most diverse governments in this country’s history.”

Mr Hester, who donated £10m to the Tories last year, allegedly made comments about the MP including that she made him “want to hate all Black women”.

A statement from Mr Hester’s firm said he “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott… but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin.”

Tory MP: I don’t want the foreign aid budget to exist at all

Should Frank Hester’s £10m Tory donation be returned amid Diane Abbott racism row? Join The Independent Debate