SHAME ON £5M TORIES

Diane slams PM for taking more from race row donor

- DAVE BURKE and LIZZY BUCHAN

DIANE Abbott said the Tories should be ashamed after accepting another £5.1million from a firm whose boss allegedly said she "should be shot".

Pressure was mounting last night on Rishi Sunak to return cash to Frank Hester after records showed his Leeds-based software company The Phoenix Partnership donated £5million in January and £150,000 in March.

The businessman is alleged to have said during a meeting: "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." Mr Hester is being investigated by West Yorkshire Police over the comments.

After the remarks were reported on March 11 a TPP spokesman said: "Frank Hester accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin."