Frank Hester's comment on Diane Abbott raise safety question

Britain’s longest-serving black MP Diane Abbott was the target of comments by Tory donor Frank Hester, who allegedly said in 2019 that she made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.

Rishi Sunak has come under fire since last week over his handling of the comments as calls were made for the party to return millions of pounds in donations made by the donor.

Two Suffolk women have spoken out and said how the response has made them feel. 

Franstine Jones, director of compliance for Aspire Black Suffolk, said: “These comments are dangerous, and it made me feel horrible."

She said if the comments about being shot were true, then she hoped "the police treat it like a hate crime and not just a hate comment". 

Ms Jones has been at the forefront of helping stamp out racial injustice and inequality for decades now.

She was the first female president of the National Black Police Association, along with heading BInspyred - an organisation she founded that provides equality training and mentoring for those from ethnic minority backgrounds.

She is also the co-director of Aspire Black Suffolk, which is led by three black female professionals who aim to empower communities and raise awareness.

She said the alleged comments push back the movement towards equality.

Ms Jones added: “Black women are stereotyped as violent and angry while being sexualised. And such comments just make it harder for us to live in an equal society.”

Further adding that while she was not surprised by the lack of response from the MPs, she does believe that the Conservative Party should return the money they have got from Frank Hester ‘without a doubt’.

Mr Hester is a West Yorkshire businessman, who runs a healthcare technology firm and gave £5m to the Conservatives in May 2023 and announced this month another £5m donation.

A party spokesperson confirmed he was now its “biggest-ever donor”.

Shioban Banji, a young black activist in Ipswich, said: “There is going to be a lot of negative fall through of this."

She expressed concern that the alleged "shooting" comment could create a safety issue.

The 23-year-old further added she is not surprised by the lack of response on the part of politicians.