Major donor to Britain’s Conservatives blasted for remarks about Black lawmaker

By BRIAN MELLEY
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A major donor to Britain’s ruling Conservative Party is under fire after he reportedly said a Black member of Parliament made him “want to hate all Black women” and she “should be shot.” The Guardian reported that Frank Hester, chief executive of health care software firm The Phoenix Partnership, made the comments about Diane Abbott, the first Black woman elected to Parliament. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a statement calling the remarks “racist and wrong” after his spokesperson and members of his party spent most of the refusing to go that far in denouncing the comment. Hester says he apologized to Abbott for rude remarks but says they weren’t related to her gender or skin color.