Frank Hester, a controversial Conservative Party donor, handed over a further £5m to the party just days before the general election, according to Electoral Commission data.
This donation comes despite mounting pressure over his widely condemned comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott, which were labelled as racist by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Hester, whose company, the Phoenix Partnership, made the donation, has now contributed over £20m to the Conservatives, solidifying his position as the party’s largest donor.
The revelation follows a scandal earlier this year when it emerged that in 2019 Hester told colleagues that seeing Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot.”
The comments sparked an investigation by the police, codenamed Operation Brassminster, which is still ongoing. Hester later apologised, describing his remarks as “rude” but insisting his criticism was not based on Abbott’s race or gender. He also highlighted his own experience of racism as the child of Irish immigrants.
Despite the uproar over Hester’s comments, Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party faced criticism for refusing to return an earlier £10m donation from Hester in 2023.
Labour and other political parties urged the Conservatives to reject any further financial contributions from the businessman, but the party remained silent on whether additional funds had been accepted.
The latest £5m donation, made just before the election, was not made public during the campaign due to its timing, which meant it was not disclosed until after the vote.
Hester’s donations since the start of 2023 now account for 58% of the national spending limit for parties during the election, raising questions about how the Tories would have fared financially had they chosen to return the funds.
Additional large donations in the second quarter of the year included £1.25m from Access Industries, a company associated with Soviet-born businessman Len Blavatnik.
Conservative chair Richard Holden, when questioned in April on BBC’s Politics Live, refused to confirm whether Hester’s additional £5m donation had been accepted, instead saying that Hester had apologised for his comments and made “major contrition.”
Holden defended the acceptance of Hester’s donations, stating: “I think if people have apologised, we should accept that.”
Diane Abbott, the MP at the centre of the controversy, expressed her disgust that Conservative leadership candidates did not rule out accepting further money from Hester during the party’s leadership election.
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