Hester comments distracting from issues that matter to people, Badenoch says

Kemi Badenoch was questioned about Tory donor Frank Hester’s alleged comments by MPs during women and equalities questions.

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch told MPs she does not want to waste time on issues that do not matter to the British people, when questioned about Tory donor Frank Hester’s alleged comments (Victoria Jones/PA) (PA Archive)

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch told MPs she does not want to waste time on issues that do not matter to the British people, when questioned about Tory donor Frank Hester’s alleged comments.

Mr Hester is alleged to have said Independent MP Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Ms Badenoch said Mr Hester’s apology had been welcomed and the Government is “drawing a line under” the issue.

He has apologised for his comments, we have welcomed his apology and we are drawing a line under it because we’re focused on what matters to the people of this country

Kemi Badenoch

During women and equalities questions, Labour’s shadow minister Ashley Dalton said: “Last week the minister for women and equalities rightly called Conservative Party donor Frank Hester’s comments about (Diane Abbott) racist.

“It has since emerged that Mr Hester has made comments that a group of Indian members of staff should climb on the roof, like on the roof of a train, and has made reference to Asian corner.

“Does the minister agree with me that these comments are racist, yes or no?”

As Ms Abbott watched on, Ms Badenoch replied: “He has apologised for his comments, we have welcomed his apology and we are drawing a line under it because we’re focused on what matters to the people of this country.

“I had letters last week of people telling me that we were wasting time focusing on issues that were not relevant to them. We need to focus on what matters to the British people.”

Labour MP Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) asked Ms Badenoch to clarify “when the right moment is to move on from a Tory donor calling for an MP to be shot in the context of hating all black women?”

Ms Badenoch said she would not be taking any lectures from Labour.

Elsewhere in the debate, shadow women and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds questioned whether past remarks by Boris Johnson, Susan Hall, and Lee Anderson were examples of anti-Muslim hatred.

She said: “A senior Conservative who went on to become prime minister (Mr Johnson) said Muslim women in his words looked like ‘letterboxes’; A Conservative candidate for London mayor (Ms Hall) said she wants to defeat her Muslim opponent to make it ‘safer’, in her words, for our Jewish community; A former Conservative deputy chairman (Mr Anderson) said in his words ‘Islamists have got control of the Mayor of London’.

“Are these incidents of anti-Muslim hatred the kind of incidents the minister just said will not be tolerated?”

Equalities minister Felicity Buchan replied: “We have made it very clear that a number of those comments we just do not accept and we think that they are wrong.

“But let me just say that before she throws abuse at this side, take a look at what is happening on the Labour benches.”

Ms Buchan pointed to comments by Labour MP Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough) which led the party to withdraw the whip from him, which has since been reinstated following an investigation, and by Ms Abbott.

Labour MP for Putney Fleur Anderson called on the Government to re-establish the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, after it was suspended in March 2020.

Ms Buchan replied: “We will be appointing a new advisor on anti-Muslim hatred, we are engaging with senior levels of the community.”

She added: “This Government is completely behind our Muslim communities and we will do absolutely the right thing for our Muslim communities.”