Police investigate Tory donor alleged race comments

West Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation into allegedly racist comments made by a top Tory donor.

Officers are investigating after Frank Hester reportedly said Diane Abbott, the UK's longest-serving black MP, made him "want to hate all black women".

The Guardian alleged the Leeds businessman, who has given £10m to the Tories, also said she "should be shot".

The force said it is working to establish if "a crime has been committed".

Mr Hester has 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".

He allegedly made the remarks about Ms Abbott while criticising a female executive at another organisation during a meeting at his company's headquarters in Leeds in 2019.

The Guardian reported that he went on to say: "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."

Ms Abbott, who has been suspended by Labour and now sits as an independent MP, reported the comments to the Metropolitan Police on 11 March and the London force passed it on to West Yorkshire.

Ms Abbott has previously called the comments "frightening" adding the "fact that two MPs have been murdered in recent years makes talk like this all the more alarming".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the comments "racist" and "wrong" but argues Mr Hester's apology should be accepted.