mr frank hester. was this route _ shot. mr frank hester. was this route or— shot. mr frank hester.i shot. mr frank hester. was this| route or racist as a comment? it shot. mr frank hester. was this route or racist as a comment? it was both. it route or racist as a comment? it was both- it was _ route or racist as a comment? it was both- it was a — route or racist as a comment? it was both. it was a despicable _ both. it was a despicable comment that should not have been made. he has not apologised for being racist. he has— has not apologised for being racist. he has only— has not apologised for being racist. he has only apologised _ has not apologised for being racist. he has only apologised for - has not apologised for being racist. he has only apologised for being i he has only apologised for being route~ _ he has only apologised for being route. he— he has only apologised for being route. ., , he has only apologised for being route. ., ., , ., he has only apologised for being route. ., ., ., , ., , route. he has apologised for his comments _ route. he has apologised for his comm

the donations frank hester _ what is going on? the donations frank hester has _ what is going on?tions frank hester has made - what is going on? the donations frank hester has made have - what is going on? the donations. frank hester has made have been properly looked at, accepted and they've been declared in the open and transparent way we are required to do and expect us. if there are future donations, i don't know whether frank hester will make any donations. find whether frank hester will make any donations. �* , ., �* ., ,~' whether frank hester will make any donations. . , ., �* ., ., , ., donations. and you didn't ask anyone in the party? — donations. and you didn't ask anyone in the party? i _ donations. and you didn't ask anyone in the party? i don't _ donations. and you didn't ask anyone in the party? i don't know— donations. and you didn't ask anyone in the party? i don't know whether i in the party? i don't know whether he will give _ in the party? i don't know whether he will give us _ in the party? i don't know whether he will give us donations _ in the party? i don't

prime minister rishi sunak says comments allegedly made by major conservative donor frank hester aboute abbott were racist and wrong, but he was rightfully apologizing for the defense caused. the guardian claims hester said ms. abbott made him want to hate all black women and she should be shot. he insisted his comment had nothing to do with her gender or skin color. ms. abbott has reported frank hester to the parliamentary liaison and investigations team that was set up after the murder she said the remarks allegedly6. made about her were worrying and frightening. our political editor chris mason has the story. but ry abbott is a political pioneer, first elected nearly 40 years ago, the first black woman mp. >> whatever else happens after this i think that nobody can take the moment away. >> after that she rose to be jeremy corbyn's shadow home secretary after being subjected to year after year of abuse that multiplied in the era of social media. now, the guardian reports frank hester, a multimillionaire donor the conservative party said this in 2019 "it is like trying not to be racis

frank hester runs a health care software | hester runs a health care software company and especiallyo the party, that's a lot in british terms, just last year. how did this come out? yesterday the guardian newspaper produced an article in which it claimed that in a meeting at his business back in 2019, frank hester said this... "is like trying to be rices but you see diane abbott on the tv and you want to hate all black women because she is there and i don't hate all black women but i think she should be shot." it is important to say bbc has not independently verified those alleged remarks. diane abbott is a long—standing mp in the first black woman mp elected in 1987. while frank hester�*s team have not confirmed that he made those precise comments as alleged by the guardian, he has issued a statement through his company where he says he accepts he was rude about diane abbott in a private meeting several years ago but he also says his criticism had nothing to do with her gender, nor her colour of skin. interestingly, that's similar to an argument made by mel stride the work and pens

_ of £15,000 from frank hester for the use of his helicopter. _ of £15,000 from frank hester for theof £15,000 from frank hester for the use of his helicopter. will he - use of his helicopter. will he reimburse _ use of his helicopter. will he reimburse him? _ use of his helicopter. will he reimburse him? yes- use of his helicopter. will he reimburse him? yes or- use of his helicopter. will he reimburse him? yes or no? i use of his helicopter. will he i reimburse him? yes or no? no, use of his helicopter. will he reimburse him? yes or no? no, mr seaker. reimburse him? yes or no? no, mr speaker- i— reimburse him? yes or no? no, mr speaker- i am _ reimburse him? yes or no? no, mr speaker. i am pleased _ reimburse him? yes or no? no, mr speaker. i am pleased that - reimburse him? yes or no? no, mr speaker. i am pleased that the - speaker. i am pleased that the gentleman is supporting a party that represents one of the most diverse governments in this country's history. — governments in this country's history, led by this country's first british— history, led by this country's first brit

this is frank hester. he built - taken a step backwards. this is frank hester.tep backwards. this is frank hester. he built up a - taken a step backwards. this is - frank hester. he built up a computer company from scratch in leeds, designing software for the health service will stop you once trained to be a priest and has an obe for services to the nhs. he donated £10 million to the conservatives last year but tonight is at the centre of a growing storm of anger and condemnation.— a growing storm of anger and condemnation. they are clearly racist and _ condemnation. they are clearly racist and clearly _ condemnation. they are clearly racist and clearly sexist - condemnation. they are clearly racist and clearly sexist and - condemnation. they are clearly racist and clearly sexist and i l racist and clearly sexist and i think diane abbott was right to point out the call to violence even in a flippant way is really an appropriate. they were really stupid remarks. i don't know that they were said because i haven't heard independent corroboration. diane abbott has n

this is frank hester.ter company from scratch in leeds, designing software for the health service. he once trained to be a priest and has an 0be for services to the nhs. he donated £10 million to the conservatives last year but tonight he's at the centre of a growing storm of anger and condemnation. they�* re clearly racist and they're clearly sexist, and i think diane abbott was right to point out the call to violence, even in a flippant way, is really inappropriate. so they were really stupid remarks. i don't know that they were said, because i haven't had independent corroboration. diane abbott has now reported frank hester�*s alleged comments to the police. that was chris mason, our political editor. live now to our political correspondent, hannah miller. earlier on we had a whole load of ministers during the immediate rounds, refusing to say the word racist or racism, and yet now, at 6pm in the evening or thereabouts, the premise or came out with those words. . ., , , ., the premise or came out with t

a good ruestion happened around frank hester?tion because who _ happened around frank hester? a good question because who would've - question because who would've guessed just a couple of days ago when we were told that the statement was coming from michael gove on thursday that three days would be about a row about alleged racism? a course tomorrow will be looked at through this prism. the government will make a broader argument about wider concerns that they have and why their views and point to have this new definition. it's their own definition and it's contested about exactly how you define it. then as a practicality of by the rig legally they can name particular groups that they can name particular groups that they regard as effectively brandishing this yellow card upon the government where they won't ever interact upon them. the red card is prescription which are banning a group out right. the prism through which tomorrow's conversation will happen will be what is happened over the last couple of days that is awkward from

diane abbott has now reported frank hester's alleged | reported frank hester's alleged comments to thehas donated £10 million to the conservatives — some are suggesting they should give it back? what are the chances? the questions are cranking — what are the chances? the questions are cranking up _ what are the chances? the questions are cranking up along _ what are the chances? the questions are cranking up along those - what are the chances? the questions are cranking up along those lines - are cranking up along those lines because there are further developments and the guardian reporting this evening that frank hesterjoked at a crowded staff meeting that there was no room for the indians and suggested staff should climb on a train roof. they quote him as saying that, i make a lot ofjokes about racism, about our different creeds and cultures, but i want to assure you that that is the most abhorrent thing. in a new statement this afternoon, frank hester said, statement this afternoon, frank hestersaid, hatred statement this afternoon, frank hester said, hatred of others based on race,

look, the donation frank hester - us what is going on?e in the past have been properly looked at, accepted and declared in the open and transparent way that we are required to do and you expect us to do. if there are future donations, i don't know whether frank hester is going to make any donations... fight! going to make any donations... and ou didn't going to make any donations... and you didn't ask— going to make any donations... and you didn't ask anyone in the party whether he was giving any more money before you came this morning? i don't know if he's going to give donations in the future. if you were to do so, we have proper processes to do so, we have proper processes to check that they are acceptable and then they are declared in the usual way. and then they are declared in the usualway. i and then they are declared in the usual way. i don't know what is going to happen in the future, i don't know if he will be minded to give us more money in the future but there are proper processes that will be declared in the usual way is the p

he didn't think borisjohnson would have tolerated what happened to frank hester.e said that the defence that rishi sunak and his colleagues put out there that, "oh, look how diverse we are. oh, look, we have a british hindu prime minister. oh, look, we're the most diverse cabinet in history." he said... it's not the color of your skin that matters, it's the content of your character. quoting martin luther king. when i was first involved in politics, it was folks like richard fuller, nicholas boles, elizabeth berridge, white parliamentarians who saw a young guy from a working class background and thought i had potential. and when i was in downing street, when george floyd was murdered, it was not the black or brown members of parliament who reached out and said, how can we bring communities together? it was borisjohnson, despite some of the things that he said in the past, that was most interested in that. and now, of course, some of the most divisive politicians are people like suella braverman. and so, to paraphrase martin luther king, it is not the color of your

but you see diane abbott on the tv," frank hester is reported to have said in 2019, "and you just want all black women because she's there, and i don't hate all black women at all, but i think she should be shot." mr hester has apologised and said that he abhors racism. in a statement he said that he accepts that he made comments that were rude about diane abbott, but said his criticism had nothing to do with her gender, nor the colour of her skin. the prime minister has suggested that he accepts that apology, but today he's likely to face questions about what will happen to the money frank hester donated. labour are calling for it to be given back. they're absolutely reprehensible comments. rishi sunak should now apologise to diane abbott, and the £10 million the tory party have taken from this individual, rishi sunak should order that money to be paid back. last night a leading member of one conservative pressure group suggested it could be used to promote ethnic minority groups. i would hope that actually hq would use that money to invest in grassroots. there are so many bame activi

. just like the huge sums handed over by frank hester.— frank hester. just a few leaflets.rn you? it does . does this concern you? it does concern me- — does this concern you? it does concern me. lack— does this concern you? it does concern me. lack of— does this concern you? it does - concern me. lack of transparency, we are getting _ concern me. lack of transparency, we are getting through government, even more concerning. divisive way the politics— more concerning. divisive way the politics are — more concerning. divisive way the politics are evolving. samuel quite rightly _ politics are evolving. samuel quite rightly points out, correct what mark_ rightly points out, correct what mark harper said, one of the most diverse _ mark harper said, one of the most diverse cabinets in the history of our politics, but they are not acting — our politics, but they are not acting like it. i thinkjust because you are _ acting like it. i thinkjust because you are black or asian or whatever, it does_ you are black or asian or whatever, it does not— you are black or asian or whatever, i

the guardian reports that during a business meeting in 2019, frank hester said diane abbott made him hate all "black women" and that she "should be shot". mr hester has admitted making comments about her which he described as "rude". mr hester has issued a statement saying that at the meeting in question, he said he abhorred racism. diane abbott has also released a statement responding to his alleged comments. she said... government ministers have faced questions from the media and they called his comments unacceptable but stopped short of calling them racist. well, it's clear that what he said was inappropriate. he has, as i understand it, apologised for those remarks. i think the critical point here is i don't think what he was saying was a gender—based or a race—based comment, but it was clearly inappropriate, he has apologised and i think we need to move on from that. cancelling anyone who's ever said anything — this was half a decade ago... it's not cancelling him, it's giving money back. yeah, but... i don't know. it's not my decision to make. what i would say is that, you know

as we said, with the - second example with frank hester, you have _ second example with frank hester,stincts are when _ you have to ask questions about what their instincts are when they're - their instincts are when they're dealing — their instincts are when they're dealing with _ their instincts are when they're dealing with this _ their instincts are when they're dealing with this sort _ their instincts are when they're dealing with this sort of- their instincts are when they're dealing with this sort of racismi dealing with this sort of racism because — dealing with this sort of racism because that _ dealing with this sort of racism because that is _ dealing with this sort of racism because that is what _ dealing with this sort of racism because that is what it. - dealing with this sort of racism because that is what it. i- dealing with this sort of racism because that is what it. i think| because that is what it. i think there — because that is what it. i think there is— because that is what it. i think there is a _ because that is what it. i think there is a real— because that i

. ♪ rishi sunak is embroiled in the -- between dan abbott and frank hester.le killed in an explosion at a u.n. warehouse in rafa. an israeli hostage released by hamas three months ago tells the bbc he did not think he would get out alive. also coming up on the world today. is it time up for tiktok in the u.s.? the house votes to force a split from its chinese owner or face a ban. cora music, the beautiful sounds from the sea thacan save our ch coral reefs -- coral reefs. ♪ >> it is just gone 7:00 in london. this is the world today from bbc news. we begin in westminster. the prime minister is resisting pressure to return 10 million pounds donated to the conservatives by the businessman frank hester. he allegedly said the mp dan abbott made him want to hate all black women and should be shot. richie sunak told the commons the remarks were racist and wrong. the prime minister apologize for what he called rude comments about britain's first black female mp. the argument dominated the prime minister's questions as labor called on the conservatives to give him the

the prime minister had repeated frank hester had apologised and that should be accepted. and again she is not called. ., , not called. in november the prime minister accepted _ not called. in november the prime minister accepted a _ not called. in november the prime minister accepted a non-cash - minister accepted a non—cash donation _ minister accepted a non—cash donation to the tune of £15,000 from frank— donation to the tune of £15,000 from frank hester for the use of his helicopter— frank hester for the use of his helicopter so when he reimburse him, yes or— helicopter so when he reimburse him, yes or no? _ helicopter so when he reimburse him, es or no? ., ~ ,,, ., ~ ., helicopter so when he reimburse him, esorno? ., ~ ., �* yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm leased yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm pleased that _ yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm pleased that the _ yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm pleased that the gentleman - yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm pleased that the gentleman is - pleased that the gentleman is supporting a party that represents one of the m

we also know that frank hester donated £10 million to the party last year. the total donations to the conservative party. it is a substantial chunk of money and then another media company are reporting that frank hester has donated another £5 million earlier this year. as i say, we won't know for certain until that is reported officially and recorded in june. but it does sound like the party haven't taken the opportunity to deny that. frank hester has said he would continue to donate to the party as long as it helps rishi sunak. there is no question, given all the publicity there has been around this whether it is necessary that helpful for the party to be receiving money from him, even if it helped financially, there are big political questions here. what about the demands for them to give the money back, what have they said about that? the views amongst conservative mps are quite mixed. there is definitely some unease on the back benches, as well as a few conservatives going on the record and saying the money should be given back. andy street, the mayor of

rishi sunak is still embroiled in the race row between diane abbott and frank hester. five people are killed in an explosion at a un warehouse in rafah. an israeli hostage released by hamas three months ago tells the bbc he didn't think he'd get out alive. also coming up on the world today... is time up for tiktok in the us? the house votes to force a split from its chinese owner or face a ban. and coral music, the beautiful sounds from the sea that could help to save our coral reefs. it is just it isjust gone it is just gone seven o'clock in london, this is the world today from bbc news. we begin in westminster, where the prime minister is resisting pressure for the conservatives to return £10 million donated by the businessman frank hester who allegedly said the mp diane abbott made him want to "hate all black women" and should be shot. rishi sunak told the commons that the alleged remarks were "racist" and "wrong" frank hester has apologised for making what he called "rude" comments about britain's first black female mp. the row dominated prime minister's questions

frank hester were wrong and racist.s reported to have said their mp diane abbott made him want to hate all black women and she should be shot. at prime minister's questions today the labour leader sir keir starmer asked rishi sunak if he was proud to be bankrolled by someone using racist and misogynistic language. here is our political correspondent damian grammaticas. will you give the money back, prime minister? £10 million, it's a huge amount of money and a political problem for rishi sunak. he has now criticised remarks said to be made by the donor frank hester as racist. sir keir starmer seized on that. is the prime minister proud to be bankrolled by someone using racist and misogynist language when he says the member for hackney north and stoke newington "makes you want to hate all black women"? mr speaker, the alleged comments were wrong, they were racist and he has now... as i said, the comments were wrong and they were racist and he has rightly apologised for them and that remorse should be accepted, mr speaker

frank hester gave £10 million to the conservative partyjust hester gave £10 million to the conservativest year. by conservative party just last year. by only one's yardstick, that is an awful lot of money. in practical terms, especially in an election year, you can understand why the conservatives would be so reluctant to hand it back. but those calls to do so are certainly going to intensify at prime minister's questions today. i would be shocked if sir keir starmer doesn't mention at this row. it may well even form the basis of his six questions. i would be shocked if other labour mps do not take the opportunity to grill rishi sunak about it. getting to the question of rishi sunak pass judgment, i think his ability to defend himself, to defend the conservative party because my position on this, has been made harder by the topsy—turvy handling of this row yesterday. the conservative party initially, via mel stride, a cabinet minister, embraced frank hester�*s defence of the comments alleged to have been made in the guardian. we should note that we have not independently verified those

frank hester said comments were "rude. he donated to the conservative party to be sent back to him. some people who give millions to push the parties have high public profiles. this is what the guardian says mr hester told staff at the software company built from scratch at a meeting back in 2019. the bbc has not independently verify those alleged remarks. in a statement last night, a spokesman said... the spokesperson said this should not be taken as an admission that mr hester use the exact words quoted in the guardian. labour have given the defence short shrift. sadly i think they were unambiguously racist and sexist, clearly beyond the pale. this is notjust about rudeness, it is totally unacceptable remarks and i think anyone who reads them would come to that conclusion. labour have been joined by the liberal democrats in calling for the conservatives to return the donations of mr hester which were vast. he gave the conservatives £10 million last year. there is no sign of those donations been returned. this morning mr

frank hester has apologised for what he called being "rude" about the mp, diane abbott, but said hisnts were nothing to do with skin colour. downing street called the comments "wrong" and "racist", but said he'd apologised and showed remorse. opposition parties have said the tories should return his donations. i spoke to cat neilan, she's the political editor at tortoise media who broke the story of further donations, about the lag in the money being sent and when parties have to report it. this is one of the many problems that we have in our system. it appears to be born out of historical reasons rather than anything else. we do have, for what is supposed to be a very transparent system, quite a complicated one in which there are various different registers updated at various different points. the electoral commission's register is only updated every quarter and i think this story has sort of renewed questions about whether that's really appropriate in this day and age when websites can be updated at the drop of a hat. that was the conservative party response so far when it came to

has neither confirmed nor denied reports it's been given another £5 million by the businessman frank hesterter has been widely accused of racism after allegedly saying the mp diane abbott makes him want to hate all black women. the tech boss 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". here's our political correspondent hannah miller. learning to use a camera on a visit, the chancellor and the prime minister can't escape the glare of scrutiny over donations to their party. this week they said that one of the comments made by one of the biggest donors is racist, but now it emerges they may have received another £5 million from that same man. a claim the chancellor didn't deny. man. a claim the chancellor didn't den . ~ ., ., man. a claim the chancellor didn't den .~ ., ., ., deny. we follow all the right procedures _ deny. we follow all the right procedures when _ deny. we follow all the right procedures when it - deny. we follow all the right procedures when it comes i deny. we follow all the ri

frank hester reported to the parliamentary liaison investigations team.atching. bye—bye. hello there, good evening. it's been another really quite wet day for many of us, particularly across england and wales. in fact, parts of south—east england have already seen their average march rainfall. we're not yet halfway through the month. a lot of saturated ground out there. and although the air is milder as we head through the rest of the week, there will be further spells of rain at times, especially in the north and the west. and if we just take a look at the rainfall accumulation chart for the rest of the week, most spots are in for another 20 to 30 millimetres, but parts of north—west england and north—west wales could see as much as 70 to 80 millimetres of rainfall, so it willjust add to the risk of localised flooding, and there are already plenty of flood warnings in place. that's also partly due to the spring tides yesterday and today. this was the situation earlier on, then, so this low pressure out towards the north—west of scotland just pushing thes

frank hester has apologised for what he called being "rude" about the mp, diane abbott, but said hiss were nothing to do with skin colour. downing street called the comments "wrong" and "racist", but that he'd apologised and showed remorse. opposition parties have said the tories should return his donations. let's speak to cat neilan, political editor at tortoise media who broke the story of further donations. thank you forjoining us. there is a lag, isn't there, eitherway thank you forjoining us. there is a lag, isn't there, either way between when the donation was made and when the party actually has to report that donation. what do you think about that lag? this that donation. what do you think about that lag?— that donation. what do you think about that lag? this is one of the many problems _ about that lag? this is one of the many problems that _ about that lag? this is one of the many problems that we - about that lag? this is one of the many problems that we have - about that lag? this is one of the many problems that we have in l about that lag? this is one of the l many prob

she said frank hester�*s alleged words were... was a source of whipping up racism — an allegation they vehemently deny. she also criticised labour, claiming its leadership response to all this was disappointing, and said in the recent past that there had been shocking levels of racism and sexism from within the labour party directed at her, and there had been no apology. as for those big questions at the start of the day for the man who lives here, including, "will the conservatives return the £10 million donation?", the answer tonight sounds like this — "no." chris is with me. has this caused damage to both parties? ina sense, in a sense, it has. particular awkwardness for the conservatives, but it's not without difficult questions for labour because diane abbott is suspended from the parliamentary labour party over allegations of anti—semitism that she has apologised for. it's a reminder of their recent embarrassments on that issue and something of an explanation for her criticisms of labour. for the conservatives, there is exas

she said frank hester�*s alleged words were...ism — an allegation they vehemently deny. she also criticised labour, claiming its leadership response to all this was disappointing, and said in the recent past that there had been shocking levels of racism and sexism from within the labour party directed at her, and there had been no apology. as for those big questions at the start of the day for the man who lives here, including, "will the conservatives return the £10 million donation?", the answer tonight sounds like this — "no." chris mason with that report. the tiktok ceo says the company will do everything it can to prevent a us ban on the social media platform. china has also described the potential ban as "an act of bullying" that would backfire on america. it follows a vote in the us house of representatives which passed a bill that would require the tiktok owner, bytedance, to sell its stake in the social media platform. during the debate, lawmakers repeatedly said that tiktok has links to the chinese communist party — somet

frank hester didn't. until now. s is what the guardian says mr hester told staff at the health care software company he built from scratch at a meeting back in 2019. it's like trying not to be racist, but you see diane abbott on the tv and you just want to hate all black women because she there and i don't hate all black women at all, but i think she should be shot. the bbc has not independently verified those alleged remarks. in a statement last night, mr hester�*s spokesperson said he accepts that he was rude about diane abbott in a private meeting several years ago, but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin. the spokesperson said this should not become an admission that mr hester used the exact words quoted in the guardian. labour have given mr hester�*s defence short shrift. well, sadly, ithink mr hester�*s defence short shrift. well, sadly, i think they unambiguously were racist and sexist. they were clearly beyond the pale. this isn'tjust about rudeness, it's about totally unaccepta

the prime minister rishi sunak and his conservatives are under fresh pressure over their ties to frank hester debate after reports mr hester had allegedly said the politician diane abbott made him "want to hate all black women" and should "be shot". with calls for the party to hand back any cash it's received from mr hester, there are now new reports the conservaties received £5 million more from him than was previously declared. a short time ago the chancellor, jeremy hunt,was asked about this. let's have a listen to what he had to say. well, we follow all the right procedures when it comes to declaring our donations, and when the time is right, we will declare any donations that we've received recently. but, chancellor, you know, the conservative party refusing to be transparent, when you're responsible for the country's economy, you know, will you not say, or you don't know or you won't say, about how the party is funded? we absolutely are transparent, we follow all the rules, the regulations, we believe in that transparency, and many of the laws about it we actually passed ourselves, and

. been asked about our donations from frank hester-— frank hester.ructure with drones and missiles leaving around a million people without power and at least five people dead. ukraine's state hydropower company said a russian strike hit ukraine's largest dam in zaporizhzhia, but that there was no risk of a breach. russia says the air strikes were to avenge ukrainian attacks on russian territory. let's speak to our eastern europe correspondent, sarah rainsford, who is in kyiv for us. just tell us more about these targeted strikes, sarah. this just tell us more about these targeted strikes, sarah. this was a massive attack _ targeted strikes, sarah. this was a massive attack overnight _ targeted strikes, sarah. this was a massive attack overnight by - targeted strikes, sarah. this was a | massive attack overnight by russia. it is the biggest that we have had here for quite some time, a combination of missiles and drones fired by russia. they say they were targeting the energy info structure here, and certainly there were a number of hits on power facil

the british businessman frank hester has given the conservative party £10 million.ight the guardian newspaper published minutes of a company meeting in 2019 in which he told colleagues that looking at diane abbott made you "want to hate all black women" and that the mp "should be shot". his spokesman has said "mr hester admits to being rude about diane abbott in a private meeting several years ago but says his criticsim had nothing to do with her gender nor the colour of her skin". the bbc has not heard a recording of the comments so we cannot verify the guardian's story. we did, though, put the allegation to senior conservative figures who all roundly condemned the comments. and yet it was notable no one seemed prepared to call it racist. here's the government minister graham stuart. i don't know. it's not my decision to make. what i would say is that, clearly, it's uncomfortable, i am uncomfortable talking about it now because he was clearly wrong, but we need to show understanding. and the important thing was he did apologise, and that he has done so, and i think

the prime minister has told the commons that comments allegedly made by conservative party donor frank hester mr hester is reported to have said the mp diane abbott made him want to hate all black women, and should be shot. at prime minister's questions, the labour leader sir keir starmer asked rishi sunak if he was proud to be bankrolled by someone using racist and misogynistic language. is the prime minister proud to be bankrolled by someone using racist and misogynist language when he says the member for hackney north and stoke newington makes you want to hate all black women? mr speaker, the alleged comments were wrong. they were racist. and he is now, as i said, the comments were wrong. they were racist. he has rightly apologised for them. and that remorse, and that remorse should be accepted. mr speaker, there is no place for racism in britain, and the government that i lead is living proof of that. in november, the prime minister accepted a non—cash donation to the tune of £15,000 from frank hesterfor the use of his helicopter. so will he reimburse him? yes or no? no, mr speaker, and i

jo brand and frank hester ? ways? jo brand and frank hester?manning and various other people. they're not arrested for them. right. that's not what happens , however, when not what happens, however, when people who are in senior positions, in the way we manage our society and are funded through that, make racist comments , then actually they comments, then actually they held accountable to for that precise because we support them more financially . that is true. more financially. that is true. thatis more financially. that is true. that is because we use large amounts of very strong argument for him to be made accountable. >> but whether it needs to have police time, i think that's that's a more difficult question. i think accountable in terms of i don't know whether you in terms of the money perhaps being given back and that sort of thing and him being , penalised, very different from having the police investigate gate. >> the first comments, if somebody believes there's a crime being committed and that means it's reported to the police, the p

i've got to talk to you about frank hester. tory party last year, then he's been, last year, and then he's been, reported to have said dreadful remarks about diane abbott saying she should be shot and he she makes him want to hate all black women that emerged in the guardian think on guardian on on i think on tuesday. he apologised for tuesday. he has apologised for some some of the remarks. they've been called racist eventually by number 10, it emerged today were reported emerged today that were reported today he gave another £5 today that he gave another £5 million to the tory party, and it has yet to be declared , we it has yet to be declared, we can on gb news after i'd can reveal on gb news after i'd done journalism on this in done some journalism on this in fact, party's talks with fact, the party's in talks with frank about this £5 frank astor about this £5 million donation. sources in the party say to say to me, he's not a racist, and they hope he can actually donate the money in the future. it's quite hard, though. you

frank hester apologised and said that he aborts racism.bout diane abbott but said his criticism had nothing to do with her gender, another colour of her skin. the prime minister suggested that he accepts that apology but today he is likely to face questions about what will happen to the money frank hester donated. labor are calling for it to be given back. ., , , back. the absolutely reprehensible - back. the absolutely - reprehensible comments, back. the absolutely _ reprehensible comments, rishi sunak should now apologise to diane abbott and the £10 million the tory party have taken from this individual, rishi sunak should order that money to be paid back. last niaht, a money to be paid back. last night, a leading _ money to be paid back. last night, a leading member of one conservative pressure group suggested it could be used to promote ethnic minority groups. i would hope that actually, seisia hq would use that money to invest in rosters, they are so many main activist in the conservative party, there have been groups and forums and i

frank hester donated £10 million to the tories last year.he's now admitted to making rude comments about miss abbott, but insists they had nothing to do with the colour of her skin. the comments were reported by the guardian newspaper and are said to have taken during meeting in taken place during a meeting in 2019. miss abbott, who's now an independent mp, has described the comments as frightening and worrying and says that she hopes for public support from sir keir starmer . mr for public support from sir keir starmer. mr hs2 has also said that he is deeply sorry, adding that he is deeply sorry, adding that he is deeply sorry, adding that he telephoned her to apologise directly for the hurt that he's caused . some criminals that he's caused. some criminals will be released early because of a lack of space in overcrowded prisons. it means prisoners serving sentences of less than four years could be let out early. labour says the move is completely unacceptable and they've vowed to build new prisons if they win the general election. however,

frank hester about diane abbott and about her race.ped in. and i wonder, and don't know this, but i wonder, but it will fuel speculation that the delay was caused because the party is in talks about this other sum coming towards them . they didn't coming towards them. they didn't want to risk offending a major donor by that point. of course, frank hester had denied his racist and apologised for being rude about diane abbott . rude about diane abbott. >> no, it's a really, really fascinating story there. and as you say, this being a live decision takes the conversation to very different place. it to a very different place. it was yesterday. it's very hard for a party that might have already millions of pounds already spent millions of pounds to magic it back and to somehow magic it back and give it back, and whether that's a moral thing to do and all the rest of it, but not having taken an extra 5 million yet, suddenly changes the terms of that very question. but, christopher, you've an announcement to you've got an announcement to your

gifted to the party the £10 million gifted to the party by the £10 million gifted to the party by frank hesters were racist remorse racist and wrong, his remorse should be accepted. >> but cross now to >> but let's cross now to downing street and speak with gb news political correspondent katherine forster who's spent the afternoon after prime minister's questions talking to the prime spokesman, the prime minister's spokesman, but starmer but also to keir starmer spokesman. and catherine, i want to ask you specifically on what the labour party has been saying about diane abbott. she's been suspended from the labour party for 326 days. what's on with that investigation ? that investigation? >> yes, that's right, tom, in all the huge row that's going on about the racist comments and the tory donor, and when will the tory donor, and when will the £10 million be handed back? and spoiler, i really don't think it will, though. they're not explicitly saying that rishi sunak did say that he wouldn't return the 15,000 personal donation to the helicopter , and donation to the helicopter, and stressed th

frank hester apologised. he said they were rude. asked of conservatives all day was whether they were racist. was it racist to say — as it is alleged mr hester did — that looking at diane abbott makes you want to hate all black women ? first thing this morning, this was the line from ministers. what i would say is that, you know, clearly _ what i would say is that, you know, clearly it's _ what i would say is that, you know, clearly it's uncomfortable. i'm uncomfortable talking about it now because _ uncomfortable talking about it now because he was clearly wrong but, you know — because he was clearly wrong but, you know - -_ because he was clearly wrong but, you know. . .- we _ because he was clearly wrong but, you know. . .- we need - because he was clearly wrong but, you know. . .- we need to . because he was clearly wrong but, i you know. . .- we need to show you know... you... we need to show understanding _ you know... you... we need to show understanding and _ you know... you... we need to show understanding and the _ you know

the race row over whether rishi sunak should return £10 million to conservative donor frank hester has. hester allegedly said diane abbott made him want to hate all black women . it was sir keir black women. it was sir keir starmer's main attack line dunng starmer's main attack line during today's prime minister's questions, with rishi sunak reiterating his line that mr hester's comments were racist and wrong, but that his remorse should be accepted . however, should be accepted. however, that has not stopped opposition mps and even some figures within within the conservative party saying his donation to the party should be returned as the money is now tainted. well, i'm now joined in the studio by gb news political editor chris hope. chris, welcome to the show. always a pleasure. now, of course, between 12 and 1 you host pmqs live on gb news. i watched it today and i was struck by a sentiment i put out to social media. i don't think i've ever seen a political class as out of touch as this mob at the moment, obsessed with competitive racism . happy competitive racism. happy ramadan tal

frank hester has accepted he was rude but he said comments that were made in 19 two 2019 hadn't to domore. in recent times he one of the conservative party is biggest donors. he gave £10 million to the party, a lot in british terms, just last year. how did this come out? yesterday afternoon the guardian newspaper produced an article in which it claimed that in a meeting at his business in 2019, frank hester said this. "it's like trying not to be racist but you see diane abbott on the tv and you just want to hate all black women because she is there and i don't hate all black women at all, but i think she should be shot." it's important to say bbc has not independently verified those alleged remarks. diane abbott, a long—standing mp, first black woman mp elected in 1987. while frank hester was my team have not confirmed he made those comments as alleged by the guardian, he has issued a statement through his company where he says he accepts he was rude about diane abbott in a private meeting several years ago, but he also says his criticism had nothing to do with her gender, nor her col

now the conservatives initially repeated the defence of frank hester which was that he was sorry forhe made but that they were not related to race or gender but within 24 related to race or gender but within 2a hours of that line you had the prime minister rishi sunak saying actually the comments at least as reported were racist and it was that mishandling that most aggrieved conservative mps so the mood in the party is bad, especially because those two episodes, against a very bleak backdrop. they are way behind the labour party in the opinion polls and have been for some time. those polls do not seem to be budging, a general election is coming at some point this year and at the polls do not budge and turn out to be correct in the conservative party is headed for a bad defeat. conservative party is headed for a bad defeat-— bad defeat. kimi badenoch at one oint this bad defeat. kimi badenoch at one point this morning _ bad defeat. kimi badenoch at one point this morning talked - bad defeat. kimi badenoch at one point this morning talked about i bad defeat. kimi badenoch at one | poi

in the uk police are investigating alleged racist comments made by a top tory donor, frank hester — who'siven £10 million to the conservative party. and hope for thousands of patients with suspected lung cancer being offered a blood test which can show if they can get early access to alternative therapies. hello. welcome to verified live, welcome to verified live. we start with the drama at the un security council — where russia and china have blocked a us draft resolution, that tied an immediate ceasefire in gaza to the release of hostages held by hamas. it was the first time america had supported calls for an immediate ceasefire in the region, having previously used its own veto to block such demands. the draft us resolution also called for more aid to enter gaza and voiced us objections to an israeli offensive in rafah. the us ambassador called russia and china's vetos notjust cynical — but petty. russia and china simply did not want to vote for a resolution that was penned by the united states because it would rather see us fail than to see this council succeed. even after inclusive c

frank hester, must be noted, says he is deeply sorry for the comment although he insists they were nots race or gender. that was the conservative party position but now as we heard from rishi sunak, the position is that these comments were racist but that these comments were racist but that doesn't mean that they should hand back £10 million they received from frank hester. let's talk about this little bit more with our political correspondent. thank you for “oininu political correspondent. thank you forjoining us. _ political correspondent. thank you forjoining us. i— political correspondent. thank you forjoining us, i want— political correspondent. thank you forjoining us, i want to _ political correspondent. thank you forjoining us, i want to pick- political correspondent. thank you forjoining us, i want to pick up . political correspondent. thank you forjoining us, i want to pick up on j forjoining us, i want to pick up on what henry was talking about, the mp diane abbott wasn't able to ask a question, she wasn't called upon at prime minister is question, how she said anything?— sa

frank hester has apologised for what he called being "rude" about the mp, diane abbott, but said hisah miller. thanks so much for your time. what more do we know about these reported donations that went known previously? hatchback, can you hear me? apologies, were having some issues coming to hannah. welcome back to it when we can. violent online content is now "unavoidable" for children in the uk, with many being exposed to it while still in primary school, according to a new 0fcom report. the regulator is urging social media companies to strengthen child protection on their platforms. our technology reporter shiona mccallum reports. how much time do you think you spend on your phone a day? even prince william is asking these questions when meeting with a group of schoolchildren at a west london youth centre yesterday. hours. that's quite a lot. but i bet you feel better coming here. but when children are on their smartphones, their innocence can soon be compromised. 0fcom say out of the 247 children it spoke to, all of them had encountered a range of violence, including gaming cont

frank hester reportedly said diane abbott made him "want to hate all black women"., it wouldn't be right for me to comment on police matters, but as i have said previously, what he said was wrong and racist and he, rightfully, has apologised for it. our political correspondent helen catt has more on this. there is a statement issued this morning by west yorkshire police that said they are investigating the comments allegedly made by the conservative donor frank hester, i should be clear, the police did not name him, they said in a statement they were investigating what were described as racist comments that were allegedly made at a meeting in leeds in 2019, is the location of the meeting which is why west yorkshire is investigating, as it comes after an initial complaint had been made to metropolitan police's parliamentary investigation team, but because it took place in leeds, that's why they're investigating. the first that officers had been working to establish the facts and ultimately ascertain whether a crime has been committed. the statement also went on to sa

tortoise media reporting that frank hester has donated another £5 million earlier this year.rded in june. but it does very much sound like a party having taken the opportunity to deny that, and frank hester has previously said he would continue to donate to the party for as long as helps rishi sunak. there is now a question really, given all the publicity there has been around there is, whether it is necessarily that helpful for the party to be receiving from, money from him, even if it helps financially, there are big political questions. that if it helps financially, there are big political questions.- if it helps financially, there are big political questions. that is all for now, big political questions. that is all for now. stay _ big political questions. that is all for now, stay with _ big political questions. that is all for now, stay with us _ big political questions. that is all for now, stay with us on - big political questions. that is all for now, stay with us on bbc - big political questions. that is all. for now, stay with us on bbc news, world business reporte

speaking on bbc breakfast — she started by answering questions about conservative party donor frank hester who has already donated £10 million to the party and it's now reported £5m more in donations to the conservtive party may still be being processed. i've just said that he's apologised for his comments. i think that that should be the end of the matter. i think this endless churning around of exactly when and how much the donations were is a distraction from the work which i am doing here today in coventry, where we're talking about small businesses and how to make life easier for entrepreneurs. the prime minister has been working very hard on a package that is going to improve the wellbeing and welfare of small businesses and self—employed people across the country, including many people who are ethnic minorities. that's what's going to make their lives easier, irrespective of whether or not there's been a donation here or there to the conservative party. but while you talk about jobs in coventry with the prime minister, it is the prime minister's own job which is the speculation on t