Kemi Badenoch dismisses row over Frank Hester’s Diane Abbott comments as ‘trivia’

Kemi Badenoch has dismissed the row over Tory donor Frank Hester’s alleged comments about Diane Abbott as “trivia” and insisted the Conservative Party should not return the businessman’s £10m donation.

The business secretary, who last week described Mr Hester’s reported remarks as racist, said the country needed to “move away” from the row, claiming it did not matter to the general public and that it was “pure media bubble speculation”.

It was reported last week that Mr Hester said Ms Abbott – the longest-serving Black MP – made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.

Downing Street originally refused to condem the comments as racist but Ms Badenoch defied the official line and did so. Rishi Sunak later said the remarks were “racist and wrong”.

Speaking to LBC, she said “we need to get to a place where we stop chasing people around and looking everywhere for the racism”.

“Everybody is accusing, and counter-accusing around racism,” she continued. “We need to move away from these things and actually focus on what matters to people.”

She added: “Now, this is trivia. I’m sorry, but I really do believe it is.

“I am afraid is not really in the high priorities of how we deal with racism in this country.”

On BBC Breakfast, she added: “You are interested in the story from last week, which has been apologised for and everyone has moved on… This is something that is pure media bubble speculation. It is not what the country cares about.”

The minister said she had condemned the alleged comments “in a personal capacity as the only black woman in the cabinet” as she defended the prime minister’s response. She said: “I don’t want a prime minister who is just going to be lurching out, making comments every five minutes in response to the media.

“What he is not doing is following the media’s lead, and I’m very pleased that he agreed with me, but I was making my comments in a personal capacity as the only black woman in the Cabinet.”

Ms Badenoch also said the Conservatives should not have to return the money and that the comments made by Mr Hester weren’t “even really about” Ms Abbott.

Asked about returning the donation, she said: “I’m actually quite surprised that people suggest this. This was something that happened five years ago. He wasn’t talking to Diane Abbott. It wasn’t even really about Diane Abbott. He used her in a reference that was completely unacceptable. He’s apologised for it.

“I think that it is far more important that we accept the apology and not moving on is taking too much attention away from what is actually meaningful to the people around the country.”

Asked whether she was suggesting the Tories were happy to take money from people who make racist remarks, Ms Badenoch replied: “The point I’m making is that when people apologise, they should be forgiven.

“And these comments were in no way reflective of the work that he has been doing while we have taken his money.”