Rishi Sunak insists public should accept Tory donor Frank Hester’s apology

Rishi Sunak has insisted a top Tory donor’s “remorse should be accepted” as he resisted calls to hand back £10 million in a racism row.

The Prime Minister was challenged by Sir Keir Starmer to return donations to Frank Hester, the Conservative backer alleged to have said Diane Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving black MP, made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.

The Labour leader asked Mr Sunak whether he was “proud to be bankrolled by someone using racist and misogynistic language”.