Recently published Electoral Commission records reveal that the Conservative Party received a £5m donation from businessman Frank Hester’s healthcare software company, The Phoenix Partnership, just days before the general election in May. This donation followed previous sums of £10m in 2023, £5m in January, and £150,000 in March. The donation was made two months after Hester was accused of making racist comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott. The then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned these comments as “racist” and “wrong”. However, the party did not return Hester’s money.
In March, allegations emerged that Hester said at a staff meeting in 2019 that Abbott “made him want to hate all black women” and “should be shot”. Hester apologised for making “rude” comments about Abbott but denied the remarks were related to her gender or skin colour.
Responding to the latest donation figures, Abbott criticised the Conservative Party, saying: “It demonstrates that they are not serious about opposing racism and it may also mean they are desperate for money.” Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper called on the Conservatives to hand back all of Hester’s donations due to his “racist” comments, which were “just as inexcusable and disgusting now as they were then”.
The Electoral Commission’s records revealed that all political parties received £51.6m in donations between April and June 2024, with £16m received by the Conservative Party and £26m by the Labour Party in the run-up to the general election. Jackie Kileen, a representative of the Electoral Commission, noted that this was one of the largest donation amounts on record for a three-month period.
The Conservative Party has thus far declined to comment on the matter. Hester’s company, which he co-founded, is said to be one of the UK’s largest suppliers of GP clinical software. In 2017, Hester was awarded a CBE for services to the NHS
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