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Sir Keir Starmer claimed the Conservative party is being “bankrolled” by someone using “racist” language during a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 13 March.The Labour leader’s comments came in the wake of a continuing row over a Tory donor’s alleged comments about Diane Abbott.Frank Hester, who donated £10m to the Tories last year, allegedly made a series of incendiary 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.” More

A Tory donor’s alleged comments about Diane Abbott were “racist” but they “don’t necessarily mean he’s a racist,” Kevin Hollindrake has said.The Conservative minister told Sky News on Wednesday (13 March): “His comments were clearly racist and wrong… I don’t think that means Frank Hester is necessarily a racist.”Mr Hester, who donated £10m to the Tories last year, allegedly made a series of incendiary 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.” More

Ed Balls accused a Tory minister of “smearing” him during a heated conversation about a Tory donor’s alleged remarks about Diane Abbott.Graham Stuart appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (12 March), discussing Frank Hester after he was alleged to have said the MP “should be shot.”The energy minister appeared to enrage the former Labour MP by saying: “If every quote you ever said about Tories got taken out of context and plastered all over the television, you could be made to look pretty vile as well.”Mr Balls responded: This is not the normal political mockabout… Don’t just smear me.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email A minister in Britain’s Conservative government said Wednesday that the party does not plan to give back 10 million pounds ($12.8 million) it received in the past year from a donor who made comments about a Black lawmaker that have been condemned as racist.The government is under pressure from some of its own lawmakers to return the donation from business executive Frank Hester. He reportedly said in a 2019 company meeting that Diane Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving Black legislator, made him “want to hate all Black women” and that she “should be shot.”Hester, chief executive of healthcare software firm The Phoenix Partnership, is the Conservative Party’s biggest donor. His company has been paid more than 400 million pounds ($510 million) by the National Health Service and other government bodies since 2016.After the comments were published by The Guardian newspaper, Hester acknowledged that he’d been “rude about Diane Abbott” but denied being racist. In a statement on social media, he said racism “is a poison that has no place in public life.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak initially criticized Hester’s comments as “unacceptable,” but it took almost 24 hours for him to call the remarks racist. His spokesman said Tuesday evening that “the comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong.”Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake told broadcasters on Wednesday that the party would not give back the money Hester had given to the party. He told Sky News that “clearly” the comments were racist, but that it was right to keep the donation because Hester “is not a racist, and he has apologized for what he said.”Asked by the BBC whether the party would take more money from Hester, Hollinrake said: “As I now understand the situation, yes.”But Andy Street, the Conservative mayor of England’s West Midlands region, told BBC radio that if it were up to him, “I would think about the company I kept and I would give that money back.”Nus Ghani, a senior Conservative lawmaker and junior business minister, said on social media: “Zero tolerance on racism is just a slogan in today’s politics.”Britain’s political parties are trying to build up funds for election campaigns later this year. Figures from the Electoral Commission show the Conservatives received 9.8 million pounds ($12.5 million) from individual donors in the final three months of 2023, and the main opposition Labour Party 6 million pounds ($7.7 million).The Guardian published further alleged remarks by Hester on Wednesday. It said he’d told a crowded staff meeting that Indian employees could sit on the roof of a nearby train if there wasn’t enough room.Abbott, 70, was elected to the House of Commons in 1987 representing an area of east London, becoming Britain’s first Black woman member of Parliament. She sits as an independent after being kicked out of the Labour Party caucus last year for comments that suggested Jewish and Irish people do not experience racism “all their lives.”She called Hester’s comments “frightening,” especially since two British lawmakers have been murdered since 2016. The government said last month it would step up politicians’ security because of rising tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.Police in London said they were assessing the matter after their parliamentary liaison and investigation team was contacted about the Guardian’s initial report. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailGoogle has started the rollout of restrictions on what kind of election-related questions its AI chatbot Gemini will answer as it tries to prevent the spread of fake news during a year when billions of people will vote worldwide.The technology giant said that users in India will be restricted as to what they can ask Gemini, or at least what types of questions it will provide responses to.It is part of the company’s efforts to ensure that misinformation and disinformation is limited in a year when according to the Centre for American Progress more than two billion people in 50 countries will head to the polls.Out of an abundance of caution on such an important topic, we have begun to roll out restrictions on the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responsesGoogle India team Some of these elections will be contested freely and fairly, while others will not.The countries where votes are being held this year include the US, Mexico, Russia and probably the UK as well.But by far the biggest is India, where around 900 million people are registered to vote according to Chatham House.“With millions of eligible voters in India heading to the polls for the general election in the coming months, Google is committed to supporting the election process by surfacing high-quality information to voters, safeguarding our platforms from abuse and helping people navigate AI-generated content,” Google said in a blog post.The tech giant laid out a series of non-AI measures it was taking to try to reduce the harm for which its platforms might be used to spread.These include efforts to provide information directly from the Electoral Commission of India on Google Search and YouTube.But it will also include restrictions on how Gemini can be used.“Out of an abundance of caution on such an important topic, we have begun to roll out restrictions on the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses,” the Google India team said.“We take our responsibility for providing high-quality information for these types of queries seriously, and are continuously working to improve our protections.” More

**_If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offer support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch._**Dame Esther Rantzen made a powerful plea for assisted dying to become law during a phone call with Sir Keir Starmer.The broadcaster and campaigner, who has terminal cancer, has previously expressed her wish for an assisted death.She told the Labour leader during a phone call with ITV News on Tuesday (12 March): “What I do not want is my family’s last memory of me to be painful and for me to be begging to be assisted in dying.”Sir Keir Starmer said that he wants assisted dying to be legalised after the next election and said he is “personally committed” to a change in the law. More

Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake has said he would accept another £10 million donation from top Tory donor Frank Hester.Mr Hester allegedly made a series of incendiary comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott including that she made him “want to hate all Black women”.BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay today (13 March) today asked Mr Hollinrake: “If Frank Hester, today, offered to give the Tory Party another £10m, would you take it?Mr Hollinrake replied: “On the basis that he is not racist, yes.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailSir Keir Starmer has pledged that parliament will debate and vote on changing assisted dying laws if Labour wins the next general election.In a phone call to TV presenter and assisted dying campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen, the Labour leader said he was “personally in favour of changing the law” around assisted dying. In footage shown by ITV News, Sir Keir told the Childline founder: “I think we need to make time. We will make the commitment. Esther, I can give you that commitment right now.”Dame Esther has been a persistent advocate for a vote on assisted dying since her terminal cancer diagnosis in 2023. She revealed that she joined the Swiss assisted dying society Dignitas to ensure that her family’s “last memories of me” are not “painful” because “if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times”.Dame Esther Rantzen has said people should no longer be able to claim allowing assisted dying is detrimental to a country’s palliative care system, after a parliamentary report found no indications this is the caseShe added that if her family accompanied her to Switzerland the police “might prosecute them”. At present, assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.In Scotland, it is not a specific criminal offence but assisting the death of someone can leave a person open to potential murder charges.A bill to make assisted dying legal in Scotland being put forward by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur is expected to come before Holyrood in the coming weeks.The Health and Social Care committee has also warned that the government must consider what to do if the law is changed in part of the UK, Isle of Man or Jersey.It said legalisation in at least one jurisdiction was looking “increasingly likely” and suggested the government must be “actively involved” in discussions about how to approach differences in the law.Sir Keir’s pledge marks a historic juncture after years of campaigning by pro-assisted dying groups. In his previous role as director of public prosecutions, the Labour leader recommended that families who assist terminally ill loved ones to die should not be subject to prosecution.The man who wants to be the next prime minister has said he would offer MPs a “free vote” meaning members would not be compelled by party line to vote for or against the proposal. But Sir Keir’s personal position means that this would be the first time the law would be debated under a prime minister who was supportive of the plans. The last time MPs voted on legalising assisted suicide was back in 2015, when the bill was defeated by 330 votes to 118.The bold new stance catapults the UK into alignment with its European neighbour after French president Emmanuel Macron announced that a bill on assisted dying would go before the French parliament in May.Under the proposed legislation, doctors would be able to prescribe a lethal substance to those suffering from incurable illnesses and pain, but who were still in control of their faculties.Mr Macron said the bill showed people were “facing up to death” and that it would “reconcile the autonomy of the individual and the solidarity of the nation”.Emmanuel Macron has said a bill on assisted dying will be presented to France’s Council of Ministers in AprilA poll by Opinium on behalf of pro-assisted dying group Dignity in Dying showed an overwhelming majority of support for a change in the law across England, Scotland and Wales.Of 10,000 people polled, 75 per cent said they supported a change in the law, versus 14 per cent who were opposed.The poll found a majority of support across all age groups, with most Christians, Jews, Hindus and Sikhs favouring a change in the law. Those of the Muslim faith are the only demographic to broadly oppose assisted suicide, reducing support in some constituencies with large Muslim populations.Sir Keir said the new law would address concerns about pressurising vulnerable people into assisted deaths and include the introduction of safeguards. He said: “When I consulted on this for the prosecutor’s guidelines, the churches and faith groups and others were very, very powerful in the arguments they made. We have to respect that and find the right balance in the end. “I do think most people coalesce around the idea that there is a case [for assisted dying] where it is obviously compassionate, it is the settled intent of the individual, and there are safeguards with teeth to protect the vulnerable.”Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying said that Sir Keir’s intervention shows that “parliamentarians are listening”: “Assisted dying has emerged as a vital issue among voters of all political persuasions…Crucially, Parliamentarians are listening. Both the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition have committed to give this historic matter the time it needs in Parliament, should they be our next Prime Minister.”She added: “Only a free vote early in the next parliament can deliver what our terminally ill citizens need – a safe and compassionate law providing choice at the end of life. “Voters are rightly demanding to know which political parties and candidates will give assisted dying the time and attention it deserves, and which will cling to a status quo that is unsafe, unfair, unequal and more than six decades out of date. As Sir Keir has recognised – dying people simply do not have time to wait.” More