West Yorkshire’s finest are digging into claims that Tory bigwig donor Frank Hester chucked out racist slurs back at a 2019 meet-up.
The inquiry by West Yorkshire bobbies comes after Diane Abbott, the ex-Labour MP, spilled the beans to the coppers about these supposed nasty remarks, with The Independent getting the scoop first.
The local law said this case got handed to them from the London Met, as the chinwag happened up in Horsforth, Leeds.
A rep told us that the plods are now “on the job to suss out the facts and to suss out if there’s been any law-breaking.”
They dropped that the Met got a shout on March 11 after a piece in The Guardian came out, and that’s when the fuzz first got wind of these alleged jibes.
Frank Hester, who splashed out £10m to the Tories last year, is said to have let rip these comments in 2019 (Screengrab/PA)
Abbott lodged a moan with the Met’s parliamentary liaison and investigations squad post-Hester’s alleged rant where he said she made him “proper want to hate all Black women”.
Hester’s company put out word after the gab got leaked, saying the bloke was “proper sorry,” and he’d tried to bell Abbott twice “to say sorry straight for the upset he’s caused her.”
“Frank Hester owns up to being a bit mouthy about Diane Abbott at a behind-closed-doors meet a few years back, but swears it wasn’t ’bout her being a woman or her skin colour,” the company said.
Hester “can’t stand racism, especially ’cause he copped some himself as a nipper of Irish folks in the 70s,” the blurb went on, and he “wants it crystal that he thinks racism’s a nasty poison with no spot in public chat.” When the Beeb asked for a bit more, Hester’s spokesperson said the gab doesn’t say “yes” to the quotes in The Guardian.
Later on, Hester made another statement that kinda hinted his words were all in jest, not meant to ruffle feathers.
Abbott has said the reported talk is “proper worrying.”
“It’s scary stuff. I’m in Hackney, no motor, so come the weekend, I’m either on the bus or legging it, more than most MPs,” she shared.
“Being on me tod makes me an easy target. But getting wind of someone chinwagging like this? That’s worrying.”
Diane Abbott’s knocked back chatter that she’s not playing ball with Labour about her whip status (Jonathan Brady/PA)
She added, “I’ve always reckoned it’s key not to be stuck in an MP bubble but to get stuck in with the crowd. What with two MPs getting done in of late, this sort of yammer does nothing but give you the willies.”
The whole kerfuffle has got folks in a tizz, both inside and out the Tory party, but the PM Rishi Sunak’s kept schtum about giving back the dosh from Hester.
This tycoon, who was last year’s top Tory sugar daddy, is rumoured to have thrown another £5m their way since New Year’s.
Top dogs in the government reckon it’s all above board to keep the moolah ’cause Hester’s “no racist” and he’s said sorry.
Communities head honcho Michael Gove told Sky News he’s buying Hester’s “I’m sorry” line, saying, “I’ve not had a chinwag with Hester, but if someone’s holding their hands up and saying sorry, and he’s really cut up about it, then I’m all for a bit of Christian forgiveness.”
Meanwhile, business minister Kemi Badenoch’s brushed off the squabble as “small fry” and stood firm that the Tory party’s good to hold onto Hester’s hefty £10m gift.
