Afternoon summary
Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary and minister for women and equalities, has said that Frank Hester’s 2019 comments about Diane Abbott, as reported, were racist. (See 5.17pm.)
Children will no longer be prescribed puberty blockers at gender identity clinics, NHS England has confirmed. As PA Media reports, the government said it welcomed the “landmark decision”, adding it would help ensure care is based on evidence and is in the “best interests of the child”. Puberty blockers, which pause the physical changes of puberty such as breast development or facial hair, will now only be available to children as part of clinical research trials.
Updated
Maria Caulfield, the health minister, has also said that Frank Hester’s comments were racist if he said what was reported, the BBC’s Ewan Murrie says.
Comments allegedly made by Frank Hester about Diane Abbott were racist, says health minister Maria Caulfield. She told the BBC: "I personally do find [the alleged remarks] racist. It's not something that we should be... excusing in anyway."
— Ewan Murrie (@emurrie91) March 12, 2024
Comments allegedly made by Frank Hester about Diane Abbott were racist, says health minister Maria Caulfield. She told the BBC: “I personally do find [the alleged remarks] racist. It’s not something that we should be... excusing in anyway.”
Sunak talks to Modi about last-ditch attempts to secure trade deal with India before election
Rishi Sunak held a call with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi about progress in talks over a free trade agreement this afternoon.
Modi tweeted that he “had a good conversation” with Sunak and said the pair reiterated their commitment to the “early conclusion” of a deal. Two sources have told the Guardian that it was Sunak who requested the call.
Had a good conversation with PM @RishiSunak. We reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and work for early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 12, 2024
Time is running out for a deal to be agreed before India’s election campaign formally begins, at which point the talks will be paused. The Indian election is expected to take place in April or May, with the exact date due to be confirmed as soon as this week.
A British negotiating team flew to India last week in a last-ditch attempt to finalise the deal this spring. If this does not happen, the final pre-UK election window is likely to be the summer.
Sunak’s spokesperson said:
The leaders welcomed the thriving partnership between the UK and India and discussed recent progress on free trade agreement negotiations. They agreed on the importance of securing a historic and comprehensive deal that benefits both countries.
The prime minister reiterated the importance of reaching an ambitious outcome on goods and services and they agreed to remain in close contact and looked forward to further progress on trade talks.
Earlier this week India announced a $100 billion free trade deal with the European Free Trade Association bloc of non-EU nations – Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
This is not the first time Kemi Badenoch has used social media to outflank No 10 with a line on the story of the day. A month ago, after Rishi Sunak was facing criticism form Keir Starmer for a crass joke about trans people during PMQs when the mother of Brianna Ghey was in parliament, Badenoch hit back at Starmer aggressively – while No 10 reportedly was dithering over whether or not to apologise.
In the Ghey case, Badenoch was leaning into an “anti-woke” position. Today she is being more “pro-woke” than No 10. (See 5.17pm.) But in both cases she came out with a more robust line than what was on offer from Downing Street, and in both cases she may have been better aligned with Tory members.
As minister for women and equalities, Badenoch has grounds for speaking out on these issues. But these interventions will also reinforce the impression that she is on maneouvres ahead of a future leadership contest.
Updated
Kemi Badenoch says Hester's comments about Abbott 'as reported' were racist - but also urges forgiveness
Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary and minister for women and equalities, has said that Frank Hester’s 2019 comments about Diane Abbott, as reported, were racist. She posted these messages on X.
Hester’s 2019 comments, as reported, were racist. I welcome his apology.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) March 12, 2024
Abbott and I disagree on a lot. But the idea of linking criticism of her, to being a black woman is appalling.
It’s never acceptable to conflate someone’s views with the colour of their skin…(1/2)
Hester’s 2019 comments, as reported, were racist. I welcome his apology.
Abbott and I disagree on a lot. But the idea of linking criticism of her, to being a black woman is appalling.
It’s never acceptable to conflate someone’s views with the colour of their skin…(1/2)
MPs have a difficult job balancing multiple interests -often under threats of intimidation as we saw recently in parliament.
Some people make flippant comments without thinking of this context.
This is why there needs to be space for forgiveness where there is contrition (2/2)
This goes beyond what No 10 was saying about Hester’s comments this morning, although Badenoch’s “as reported” line implies she is leaving open the option that Hester did not use the words reported.
Hester has not denied using the words reported by the Guardian. But his spokesperson has told the BBC that comments he has given saying he was rude about Abbott, but not racist, should not be taken as confirmation that he did use the words reported.
Humza Yousaf says if Tories had 'any moral principle' they would return Hester's £10m
Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister, has described Frank Hester’s comments about Diane Abbott as not just “racist” and “sexist”, but were also “inciting hatred”.
Speaking at an event at the LSE in London today, he said:
If the Conservative party had any moral principle, then they would return every single penny and tell him where his money should go – that is my honest view.
First and foremost, can I say that I stand in full solidarity with Diane Abbott – she has been a trailblazer for many years.
We may have our differences on particular issues, but I stand full square behind and alongside Diane Abbott.
Yousaf was giving a speech in which he claimed that, without Brexit, Scotland would have £1.6bn more to spend on public services than it does now.
Hester has issued a statement saying he accepts he was “rude” about Abbott in a private meeting, but that “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”. He also says he views racism as “a poison that has no place in public life”. (See 3.58pm.)
MPs fail in bid to trigger Commons privileges inquiry into claim Starmer coerced Hoyle ahead of Gaza vote
The office of the Commons speaker has rejected calls for an investigation into claims that Keir Starmer exerted undue pressure on Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, to get him to allow a vote on Labour’s motion on Gaza, Aubrey Allegretti from the Times reports.
The decision was taken by the three Commons deputy speakers – Dame Eleanor Laing, Dame Rosie Winterton and Nigel Evans – because Hoyle recused himself, being personally involved in the matter.
In a letter to Sir Graham Brady, the Conservative chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, Owen Thompson, the SNP chief whip, and Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru leader at Westminster, the three deputy speakers said there was no precedent of an inquiry of this kind.
The Commons privileges committee investigates allegations about people interfering improperly with the work of MPs, and this would cover the use of threats. After Hoyle announced that he would ignore parliamentary rules to allow a vote on a Labour amendment to the SNP motion on Gaza, it was alleged that Starmer had used threats to obtain this outcome – perhaps by saying Labour MPs would vote Hoyle out of office in future if he did not comply.
Starmer strongly rejected this claim, for which there is no substantial evidence. Labour says he sought to persuade Hoyle to allow the vote by saying MPs would face more threats from people with militant views on the Gaza issue if it did not go ahead.
In their letter the three deputy speakers say the speaker must be allowed to consult MPs in confidence and that a privileges committee inquiry into his conversation with Starmer would undermine this principle.
They also say there is no precedent of launching an inquiry of this kind just on the basis of unsubstantiated claims about what was said at a private meeting.
Allegretti has published a letter from the three deputy speakers explaining their decision here.
Exclusive:
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) March 12, 2024
All three Commons deputy speakers unanimously rule that no vote will be allowed on referring Keir Starmer to privileges committee over the Gaza ceasefire debate.
Tory, SNP and Plaid Cymru MPs had requested an investigation alleging the Labour leader pressured him to… pic.twitter.com/7tHfy8tjBA
Hester claims he views racism as 'a poison that has no place in public life'
The Tory donor Frank Hester has issued a fresh statement on X related to the controversy generated by the Guardian story about what he said about Diane Abbott. In it he says he views racism as “a poison that has no place in public life”.
Having quoted me accurately saying “I abhor racism” @guardian newspaper has just asked me to confirm that I made these following remarks at the same meeting 5 years ago that they reported on yesterday. They claim that I told staff:
— Frank Hester OBE (@HesterObe) March 12, 2024
“For me, racism is a hatred and a fear of the…
Having quoted me accurately saying “I abhor racism” @guardian newspaper has just asked me to confirm that I made these following remarks at the same meeting 5 years ago that they reported on yesterday. They claim that I told staff:
“For me, racism is a hatred and a fear of the other. For me, it is exactly the same as homophobia - it’s not limited to the colour of your skin, it is not limited to religion, it can just be the country next door. It can be northerners and southerners, which we have here.”
I can confirm that this is an accurate reflection of my view that hatred of others based on race, religion, gender, sexuality or geography is odious and disgusting and that racism - in particular - is a poison that has no place in public life.
The UK benefits immensely from the rich diversity of people - like my parents - who had roots in another land, religion and culture. We should celebrate those differences which have made us the world’s most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy. And we should have the confidence to discuss our differences openly and even playfully without seeking to cause offence.
Hester also published a statement about the story on X yesterday afternoon, after the Guardian published its initial report about him.
Updated
Experts claim Coutinho putting zero carbon energy target at risk by allowing new gas-fired power stations
Claire Coutinho, the energy secretary, has given a speech today to announce that the government will support the construction of new gas-fired power stations. Our preview story by Alex Lawson is here, the full tet of the speech is here, and here is a passage from the speech where Coutinho says this policy does not breach the UK’s net zero commitments.
There are two reasons why backing gas is not at odds with our world-leading net zero commitments.
First, we expect all new gas power stations to be built net zero ready.
That means companies must build power plants which are ready to connect to carbon capture technology or that can be changed to burn hydrogen instead of gas …
Second, these gas power plants will run less frequently as unabated as we build more and more low-carbon generation and long-term storage.
But while we are bringing other flexible sources online, we won’t take any risks.
In the past six months we have been accused of rolling back on our net zero plans.
So let me tackle this head-on: Britain is the poster child for net zero.
We’ve halved our greenhouse gas emissions since 1990.
Out of the top 20 largest economies in the world, nobody has done more than us.
Yet many experts and campaigners do not accept this analysis.
Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said:
This latest announcement must be seen for what it is - concessions to the gas lobby. It demonstrates the stranglehold that the fossil fuel industry still has on the government’s decision making, and ministers’ incompetence in actually delivering the policies they have promised.
Coutinho has failed to outline a plan to control gas plant emissions after 2035, yet the government says they want a zero carbon power system by the same date. Something isn’t quite adding up.
Stuart Haszeldine, professor of carbon capture and storage at Edinburgh University, said:
The UK has a commitment to zero carbon electricity by 2035 – that will now fail …
It is crazy to build a new generation of gas-fuelled power plants, with no pipeline or shipping connections linking to CO2 storage. This is not just giving up global leadership, this is the UK going backwards to a position of leading to make climate change happen.
And Prof Jim Watson, head of the Institute for Sustainable Resources, at University College London (UCL), said:
Building new power plants fuelled by ‘natural gas’ is the wrong approach to balancing supply and demand in a decarbonised power sector. The UK already has a large number of such plants.
Instead, the focus should be on retrofitting some of the newer plants to run green hydrogen (produced by renewables), or fitting them with carbon capture and storage technologies. Both options are technically possible now.
The Science Media Centre has published a wider range of reaction from academics here.
Labour says plan to release prisoners up to two months early will generate 'shockwaves and deep concern'
A move to potentially allow prisoners to shave two months off their jail time is the “most drastic form of early release” ever witnessed in England and Wales, according to Labour.
As PA Media reports, Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, announced last night an extension to the end of custody supervised licence (ECSL) scheme, taking it from 18 days to a maximum of 60 days in a bid to ease overcrowding pressures in prisons. PA says:
The government has insisted the measure will be temporary and only apply to so-called “low-level offenders”.
Chalk made the announcement via a written ministerial statement to parliament after 8pm, a situation Labour branded “plainly inadequate given the gravity of the situation”, before attending the Commons in person to update MPs this afternoon.
Shabana Mahmood, the shadow justice secretary, said the extension was “unprecedented”.
Replying to Chalk’s statement in the Commons, she said: “Let us be in no doubt, this is the most drastic form of early release for prisoners that this country has ever seen, and in his 11-page and 10-minute long statement today, it merited one paragraph.
“This is a measure which will cause shockwaves and deep concern across our country, and the secretary of state seems to think a quiet written ministerial statement published late last night and one paragraph today is good enough — it is not.”
The Labour MP posed a number of questions for her opposite number, including how many people had so far been released via the scheme, what prisons are making use of it and whether convicted domestic abusers and stalkers are eligible under its terms.
Mahmood added: “The government has refused all requests to be transparent about the scale and the impact of this scheme, this is no way to run the criminal justice system, or indeed the country.”
Chalk did not provide answers to her questions but assured that the government would take “every step to protect the public”.
Downing Street said the scheme would be temporary but refused to set a deadline for when it would be wound down.
Asked how long it could be in place, the prime minister’s spokesperson said: “I can’t offer a projection but it is very clearly a temporary measure. It is up to governors to use it operationally, depending on their circumstances.”
According to MoJ figures, the prison population stood at 88,220 as of 8 March. The operational capacity is a little over 89,000.
Earlier I said the Green party was calling for the £10m given by Frank Hester to the Tories to be returned. Sorry, that was wrong. The Greens are saying the Tories should donate it to groups campaigning against racism and domestic violence. I have updated the post at 12pm with the full quote.
Updated
Chakrabarti says she hopes Abbott's record as trailblazer for black politicians will help lead to restoration of Labour whip
Diane Abbott is currently suspended from the parliamentary Labour party because of a letter she wrote to the Observer that suggested that antisemitism wasn’t as serious as the racism suffered by black people, and that it was more akin to prejudice.
Asked if Abbott should be reinstated, Shami Chakrabarti told the World at One that she hoped Keir Starmer’s acknowledgment today that Abbott has been a “trailblazer” (see 10.13am) might help lead to her having the whip restored. Chakrabarti said:
I don’t want to interfere in discussions that [Abbott] must have with the labour whips.
But I listened very carefully to Keir Starmer, our leader, and what he said about Diana the trailblazer, and what she’s had to put up with.
I hope that that will be taken into account alongside her very prompt and sincere apologies for that letter.
Updated
Labour's Shami Chakrabarti tells Tories that refusing to describe racism as racism 'is somehow licensing it'
Shami Chakrabarti, the Labour peer who is a friend of Diane Abbott, was interviewed about the Frank Hester comments on the World at One and she issued a direct appeal to Rishi Sunak to address the problem properly.
Chakrabarti said she was “horrified” that ministers were refusing to describe the Hester remarks as racist. If they refused to call this out, they were condoning the comments, she implied. She said:
Having heard the interviews of the ministers, I’m just completely horrified that they wouldn’t call this for what it is. And I think if you don’t call it at that level, you’re somehow licensing it.
If they say that this gentleman didn’t make the remarks that I’m reading right now in the Guardian in quote marks, if he didn’t make those remarks, then that can be said.
But if he did make those remarks, that is proper, misogynistic, race hate speech. And that should not be tolerated anywhere, and not in the highest echelons of the British Conservative party, and not from someone who’s brought himself £10m’s worth of influence in our country, and in government.
She appealed to Sunak to “put his own house in order” if he wants to show he is serious about tackling extremism. She said:
I say to the prime minister, our first non white prime minister, please, please do something about this. You stood last week on the steps of Downing Street and you said you wanted to tackle extremism. We’ve got [Michael] Gove who’s going to put out some new, broad definition of extremism. There’s lots of divisive politics being played here.
And yet they won’t call out what’s happening in their own party at the highest echelons …
This kind of comment made by a very, very significant major donor to the party of government is terrifying. This is not where I thought our wonderful country would be nearly a quarter of the way into the 21st century.
Mr Sunak needs to put his own house in order before he starts lecturing anybody else, whether protesters or anybody else, about extremism.
She said that the level of abuse Abbott has suffered is “phenomonal”. As evidence, she cited an Amnesty International report from 2017 saying Abbott experience more online abuse than anyone else in parliament.
She said that she was very anxious on behalf of her friend. Asked how Abbott was responding to the controversy, Chakrabarti replied:
She’s anxious and she’s upset but, as she always does, she’s putting a brave face on and trying not to worry her friends. But I have to say my heart is pounding, and I’m really upset and anxious on her behalf.
Hester has issued a statement saying he accepts he was “rude” about Abbott in a private meeting, but that “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
The BBC reports that a spokesperson for Hester says this should not be read as confirmation that Hester said the words attributed to him. But Hester has not denied saying those words either.
Updated
Sunak tells cabinet 'the plan is working' - 24 hours after Tory rightwingers insist that message no longer true
After Lee Anderson resigned yesterday, the New Conservatives, a group of rightwing backbench MPs, issued a lengthy statement saying this move confirmed that Tory voters feel let down by the government. It also said government messaging was now increasingly implausible. It said:
Our poll numbers show what the public think of our record since 2019. We cannot pretend any longer that ‘the plan is working’. We need to change course urgently.
At No 10, they either did not get the message, or are ignoring it. Downing Street has sent out its readout from this morning’s cabinet meeting and it shows that Rishi Sunak remains very committed to the line that his plan is working. A No 10 spokesperson said:
The prime minister asked the work and pensions secretary for an update on today’s labour market statistics. He said the stats showed the plan is working, with payroll employment at a record high, real wages growing for seven months in a row, and our inactivity rate is below the US, France, and Italy.
The prime minister turned to an update on action to cut crime and make our streets safer. The prime minister said our crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour is working, with violent and neighbourhood crime halved since 2010. He added that to support this we are building 20,000 new prison places, the largest programme since the Victorian age, which he funded as chancellor.
According to the No 10 readout, James Cleverly, the home secretary, also told cabinet that police recruitment was up, overall crime was down, and more foreign offenders were being deported. And Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, told colleagues that reoffending by former prisoners was down from 31% in 2010 to 25%. That was as a result of “work to make sure prisoners released from prison are not left without a place to stay or a job, with the number offenders in work six months after leaving prison doubling in the last year”, No 10 said.
Hester 'not a racist', says friend and former Tory treasurer Lord Marland
Lord Marland, a businessman and former Conservative party treasurer, describes himself as a friend of Frank Hester. In an interview with LBC, he said that he did not think Hester was racist. He said:
I know Frank Hester as it turns out and the first question I ask myself is ‘is he a racist’? And the Frank Hester I know isn’t.
He’s an international businessman, he travels widely overseas - he does a lot of a business in Jamacia, he does business in Malaysia, in Bangladesh - so he’s not a racist.
He made some unfortunate remarks that do sound racist, and quite rightly he’s apologised for them. That’s my view on the subject. My overriding thing is that he’s not a racist.
Asked if he thought the Conservative party should return the £10m it received from Hester, Marland said it was not for him to say.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the Conservative former chancellor, has said that the remarks about Diane Abbott attributed to Frank Hester were clearly racist and sexist. But he said he did not know for sure that Hester actually used those words.
Speaking on the BBC’s Politics Live, Kwarteng said:
[Those comments] are clearly racist, and they’re clearly sexist.
And I think Diane [Abbott] was right to point out that the call to violence, even in a flippant way, is really inappropriate. So they were very stupid remarks.
I don’t know that they were said because I haven’t heard an independent corroboration … So I’d want to hear a recording, if there is one, get a bit more colour. But clearly what’s been reported is racist, sexist and totally unacceptable.
“They were very stupid remarks,” Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng says
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) March 12, 2024
The former chancellor tells #PoliticsLive Tory donor Frank Hester's alleged comments about Diane Abbott are "racist, sexist and totally unacceptable"https://t.co/Mppwb40ZEC pic.twitter.com/lpX4WoLGTB
Hester has issued a statement saying he accepts he was “rude” about Abbott in a private meeting, but that “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
No 10 says comments by Frank Hester about Diane Abbott 'clearly unacceptable'
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson said the commens made by Frank Hester about Diane Abbott were “clearly unacceptable”, but he refused to say whether they were racist.
Asked about the comments, the spokesperson said:
I wouldn’t usually comment on alleged words, second-hand accounts, etc.
But, as minister [Graham] Stuart said this morning [see 10.01am], what is alleged and reported to have been said is clearly unacceptable.
The spokesperson refused to be drawn on why they were unacceptable, adding: “I don’t have anything to add beyond what minister Stuart said this morning.”
Hester has issued a statement saying he accepts he was “rude” about Abbott in a private meeting, but that “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
Graham Stuart, the energy minister, declined to describe Frank Hester’s comments about Diane Abbott as racist in interviews this morning (see 10.01am), but William Hague, the former Conservative leader and former foreign secretary, did use the term this morning. He told Times Radio:
His comments do seem to be racist, I don’t think I could deny that, honestly .. Connecting dislike of Diane Abbott with racial characteristics, well, that is racist.
But Hague also said that Hester deserved credit for his apology, and he described him as “clearly somebody who’s learnt his lesson about saying things like this”.
Gavin Barwell, a former minister who was chief of staff to Theresa May and how now sits in the House of Lords, is another Tory who has described Hester’s comments as racist. He posted these on X about the official CCHQ reaction to the story.
This is an absurd line. First Hester didn't offer any "criticism" of Diane Abbott's views; he described his reaction to seeing her on TV. And second what he said clearly had something to do with her gender and the colour of her skin because he referenced both of them https://t.co/2j84WnU2dw
— Gavin Barwell (@GavinBarwell) March 12, 2024
This is an absurd line. First Hester didn’t offer any “criticism” of Diane Abbott’s views; he described his reaction to seeing her on TV. And second what he said clearly had something to do with her gender and the colour of her skin because he referenced both of them
This is racism and sexism 1.0 - he doesn't like Diane and based on that he is inclined to dislike other black women
— Gavin Barwell (@GavinBarwell) March 12, 2024
Thoughts with @HackneyAbbott, who has had an entire lifetime of putting up with this shit
This is racism and sexism 1.0 - he doesn’t like Diane and based on that he is inclined to dislike other black women
Thoughts with @HackneyAbbott, who has had an entire lifetime of putting up with this shit
Hester has issued a statement saying he accepts he was “rude” about Abbott in a private meeting, but that “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
Green party says Tories should donate £10m they got from Hester to anti-racism and domestic violence campaigns
The Green party has joined Labour and the Liberal Democrats in saying the Conservative party not keep the £10m it received from Frank Hester.
But instead of calling for the money to be returned, as the two other parties have done, the Greens are saying the money should be donated to groups campaigning against racism and domestic violence. In a statement, the party’s spokesperson for policing and domestic safety, Amanda Onwuemene, said:
It’s clear that racists are funding the Tory party to the tune of millions of pounds. No wonder they fail to call this out for what it is – a vile racist and misogynist attack on a woman who made history by becoming Britain’s first Black woman MP and who has had a remarkable political career.
The Green Party stands in solidarity with Diane Abbott and all black women. Nobody should have to face the abuse and threats she is subject to.
Labour wants the Conservative party to return the £10m donation – to a man guilty of racism and misogyny. As Greens we challenge the Conservative party to donate the sum it has received from Hester to some of the many anti-racism and domestic violence campaigns around the country that are doing such valuable work. That would demonstrate the Tories are genuinely concerned about fighting racism and misogyny.
Hester has issued a statement saying he accepts he was “rude” about Abbott in a private meeting, but that “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
Updated
Tory defector Lee Anderson may not last long in Reform UK, minister suggests
Graham Stuart, the energy minister, was also asked about the defection of Lee Anderson to Reform UK during his interview round this morning. Anderson was unlikely to last long in his new party, Stuart predicted. He told GB News:
You can see Lee Anderson on the stage with his new leader barely able to hide his irritation, so I’m not sure how long that honeymoon is going to last.
Another minister, Esther McVey, told reporters as she arrived in Downing Street for cabinet this morning that she felt Anderson, a Labour councillor before he became a Tory MP, had gone full circle. She explained:
To be fair, I’m somewhat disappointed about Lee’s decision, and surprised as well.
I mean, after he campaigned for Jeremy Corbyn in 2017, in effect he’s now gone full circle and he’ll be campaigning for Keir Starmer, because even he said a vote for Reform is a vote for Labour. So, I’ve clearly misjudged him.
Abbott says it is 'frightening' to hear what Tory donor Frank Hester said about her
Diane Abbott has issued a statement to ITV’s Good Morning Britain about the Frank Hester comments. In it she said:
It is frightening. I live in Hackney, I don’t drive, so I find myself, at weekends, popping on a bus or even walking places, more than most MPs.
I am a single woman and that makes me vulnerable anyway. But to hear someone talking like this is worrying.
For all of my career as an MP I have thought it important not to live in a bubble, but to mix and mingle with ordinary people. The fact that two MPs have been murdered in recent years makes talk like this all the more alarming.
I’m currently not a member of the parliamentary Labour party, but remain a member of the Labour party itself, so I am hoping for public support from Keir Starmer.
My statement made to Good Morning Britain this morning. https://t.co/ACDEWhHGcg
— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) March 12, 2024
Michelle Donelan apologises not raising concerns about UKRI academic in private, instead of in post on X
Michelle Donelan, the science secretary, is giving evidence to the Lords science and technology committee. In her opening remarks, she made a statement about the controversy that led to her department paying £15,000 to an academic libelled by Donelan on X.
She said that she should have raised her concerns about the academic in private, not in public, and she apologised for not doing that.
Donelan told the committee that, as the minister responsible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), officials alerted her to a tweet saying: “This is disturbing – Suella Braverman urges police to crackdown on Hamas support in UK.” This was posted by someone sitting on a UKRI EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) board, Donelan said.
She went on:
At the time I was very concerned that there was a process failing in the appointment of members to the EDI board. And I worked with officials in my department, and lawyers across my department, over the course of two days to draft, to clear and to send an official letter to UKRI’s CEO to ask for an investigation.
This was highlighted using the same medium that was originally used, ie X or, as it is often known, Twitter.
Donelan said the letter prompted an investigation. She said the person involved, Prof Kate Sang at Heriot-Watt university in Edinburgh, subsequently confirmed that her “this is disturbing” comment was about the whole article she referenced, not just the headline about the Hamas crackdown.
Donelan said she has now withdrawn all her concerns and £15,000 has been paid to settle the case. She went on:
The legal expenditure was approved by the department’s accounting officer.
While I always err on the side of transparency, I am now clear that in this case, I could have sent the letter in confidence to the UKRI in order for them to undertake the investigations privately. And I do apologise for not having done so and for distraction that this decision has caused from this government’s positive agenda.
Updated
'Every time Diane is attacked, we feel it' - former Tory No 10 aide says Abbott key figure for black Britons
Samuel Kasumu, who worked as a special adviser for Boris Johnson in Downing Street on civil society and communities, gave a moving interview about the Frank Hester comments on the Today programme this morning. He said that many people might not appreciate quite how important a figure Diane Abbott was to black Britons, and quite what a significant role she played in “our own island story”. Here are the main quotes from his interview.
Kasumu said that many black Britons, regardless of their party politics, felt personally offended by comments of this kind about Abbott. He explained:
I think it’s important to note that as a black Brit Diane Abbott is somebody that is very historically significant. She was first elected in 1987, the year that I was born.
I wouldn’t have been a special advisor in Downing Street if it wasn’t for Diane Abbott. Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Kwasi Kwarteng, David Lammy – they would not be where they are today if it wasn’t for Diane Abbott. And so it’s very important to note that for many black Brits, every time Diane is attacked, we do feel it …
We feel a sense of hurt because of her historical significance. Regardless of what our politics may be, and our politics do differ, she ran so that people like me could walk. And so I think for many people who see her as an easy target, perhaps they don’t really understand just how important a figure she is in terms of our own island story.
Kasumu said that originally he had not wanted to give an interview on this topic. But he said he changed his mind when he saw how much this mattered to his wife, who is black. He explained:
When I told her about the words that were said, and I saw the look on her face, I understood that I had a moral obligation to speak up and speak out and say that actually words like this matter, and they’re totally unacceptable.
Kasumu said Hester should accept that “words do matter’. When it was put to him that Hester claims his criticism of Abbott was not racist, Kasumu replied:
In recent times we have had two members of parliament, distinguished members of parliament, killed, and so words do matter. And somebody in a position like Mr Hester must recognise that, whether you’re in a pub, or you’re at work, or you’re involved in public life, his statements were completely abhorrent and unacceptable.
Kasumu said that it was not enough for Hester to apologise. He said:
Somone of his standing must do more. They must be part of the solution around how we bring our country together and we heal divisions and we tackle racism and misogyny etc …
He has to be someone that is seen to be a leader that has learned from his mistake. But also somebody that is proactively investing in making sure that our country can continue to prosper and continue to get to a point where it’s more united.
And so he’s going to have to do more than just trying to call Diane Abbott. He’s going to have to invest his time, his efforts, his resources, in being part of the solution. Because right now he’s part of the problem.
Kasumu declined to back calls for the Conservative party to return the £10m it received from Hester, saying he regarded this issue as “inconsequential”. Asked if the money should be returned, he replied:
For me that is inconsequential. Whey theytook the money, it was not because of comments that he may or may not have made many years ago. I don’t want us to be distracted by what should or shouldn’t happen to the money. We must focus on making sure that we tackle the racism that still exists in our country.
He praised Rishi Sunak for his “excellent” speech on extremism two weeks ago, but said “far more needs to be done”.
Hester has issued a statement saying he accepts he was “rude” about Abbott in a private meeting, but that “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
'Just abhorrent' - Starmer urges Tories to return £10m it received from donor who was abusive about Diane Abbott
Keir Starmer has said that comments about Diane Abbott by the Conservative party’s biggest donor were “abhorrent,” as the Labour leader urged the Conservatives to return £10m given to it by the businessman.
The Labour leader also attacked a minister who declined to go further than calling Frank Hester’s comments “absolutely unacceptable” when asked about them in interviews this morning. (See 10.01am.)
The Labour leader told ITV’s Lorraine on Tuesday:
The comments about Diane Abbott are just abhorrent.
And Diane has been a trailblazer, she has paved the way for others, she’s probably faced more abuse than any other politician over the years on a sustained basis.
And I’m sorry, this apology this morning that is pretending that what was said wasn’t racist or anything to do with the fact she’s a woman, I don’t buy that I’m afraid, and I think that it’s time the Tory Party called it out and returned the money.
Hester has issued a statement saying he accepted he was “rude” about Abbott in a private meeting, but that “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
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Minister says Tory donor's comments about Diane Abbott 'unacceptable', but does not accept his £10m should be returned
Good morning. Graham Stuart, the energy minister, has had the job of being the government’s all-purpose spokesperson this morning. He was doing the interview round to discuss an announcement about building new gas-fired power stations, but inevitably he has faced questions about the Guardian’s splash about Frank Hester, the biggest donor to the Conservative party.
Tuesday's GUARDIAN: Biggest Tory donor: looking at Diane Abbott makes you 'want to hate all black women'#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/dAZemtDT2Y
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) March 11, 2024
To recap: the Guardian reports that at a meeting at his firm’s HQ in 2019 Hester spoke about an executive from another organisation, saying:
She’s shit. She’s the shittest person. Honestly I try not to be sexist but when I meet somebody like [the executive], I just …
It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV and you’re just like, I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.
After the story was published Hester issued a statement saying he accepted he was “rude” about Abbott in a private meeting, but that “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
Statement regarding recent media reports:
— Frank Hester OBE (@HesterObe) March 11, 2024
Frank Hester accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbot in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin. The Guardian is right when it quotes Frank saying he abhors racism,…
The BBC reports that a spokesperson for Hester says this should not be read as confirmation that Hester said the words attributed to him. But Hester has not denied saying those words either.
Here are some of the points Stuart has been making in response to questions about this story.
Stuart said Hester’s comments were “absolutely unacceptable”, but he declined to describe them as racist. Asked on Times Radio if the comments were racist, Stuart said:
I find it absolutely unacceptable. I hesitate to stick that particular label on it. I’m hesitating to call it that because I don’t like to sit in judgment on these things.
It was clearly a ridiculous thing to say, he’s rightly apologised for it and here’s a man who’s supporting the most diverse cabinet we’ve ever had under this Conservative Party. We’ve got a Hindu prime minister and he’s our biggest donor, so I don’t think this is a man who is a racist.
But I’ve never met him, I don’t know him and all I know is those comments were inappropriate, wrong, and quite rightly he has tried to reach out to Diane Abbott personally.
Stuart claimed on the Today programme that the comments attributed to Hester by the Guardian “haven’t been verified”. (That is not fair on the Guardian; we would not have published them if we had not verified them.)
Stuart said people should not be cancelled in public life because of comments made in the past and refused to accept that the Tories should return his donations. Asked on Sky News if the Conservative party should return the £10m it has received from Hester, Stuart replied:
We can’t cancel anybody from participation in public life, or indeed donating to parties, because they said something intemperate and wrong in their past.
It’s not my decision, but I do welcome those who support the Conservative party.
Stuart made the same argument in his Today interview, saying he would not approve of “cancelling anyone who’s ever said anything half a decade ago”.
He told the Today programme that vilification of the kind experienced by Abbott “will drive good people out of politics”.
He admitted on the Today programme that he was “uncomfortable” answering questions about Hester because “he was clearly wrong”.
He said Hester deserved “understanding”. He told the Today programme:
We need to show understanding. The important thing was that he did apologise and that he’s done so, and I think quite right. Though, as I say, I don’t know exactly what it was he said … It is not something of which he or we can be proud.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Rishi Sunak chairs cabinet, including a political cabinet session.
10.15am: Richard Hughes, chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, gives evidence to the Commons Treasury committee about the budget. At 2.15pm Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, give evidence.
11am: Michelle Donelan, the science secretary, gives evidence to the Lords science committee
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
1.30pm: Claire Countinho, the energy secretary, gives a speech at the Chatham House Energy Transitions Conference.
3.10pm: David Cameron, the foreign secretary, takes questions in the House of Lords.
Around 4pm: Peers start the debate on the third reading of the safety of Rwanda (asylum and immigration) bill.
I’m afraid we will have to have comments off, at least for the start of the day, because the Hester story is attracting a lot of libellous or potentially libellous comments making moderation very difficult.
But f you want to contact me, do try the “send us a message” feature. You’ll see it just below the byline – on the left of the screen, if you are reading on a laptop or a desktop. This is for people who want to message me directly. I find it very useful when people message to point out errors (even typos – no mistake is too small to correct). Often I find your questions very interesting, too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either in the comments below the line; privately (if you leave an email address and that seems more appropriate); or in the main blog, if I think it is a topic of wide interest.
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