Who is Frank Hester? Rishi Sunak condemns millionaire Tory donor's comments against Diane Abbott as "racist and wrong"

Frank Hester, founder of clinical software company, The Phoenix Partnership, was accused of making inflammatory comments against Hackney MP Diane Abbott. According to a report published by The Guardian on March 11, Hester allegedly told colleagues during a 2019 meeting at his headquarters in Leeds that looking at Abbott made him "want to hate all black women."

On Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for Rishi Sunak stated that Hester's alleged comments were "racist and wrong." Frank Hester is one of the biggest donors of the Conservative Party, donating £10 million since last year. Sunak is now facing calls from various PMs and the public to return the money.

---

Frank Hester founded The Phoenix Partnership in 1997

Born in April 1966, Frank Hester comes from an Irish background and grew up in Armley, Leeds. According to Sky News, he founded The Phoenix Partnership (TPP) in 1997, which is described as "a leading global provider of healthcare technology".

Based in Horsforth, Leeds, the company's primary product is SystmOne, a "pioneering clinical system" that clinicians can use to access information regarding a patient's history of health services. TPP also works with the National Health Service (NHS) and was reportedly awarded a six-figure contract to supply data on vaccine uptake levels during the pandemic.

According to the company website, Frank Hester, aged 58, was elected to the board of TechUK as a spokesperson for the healthcare IT sector in 2012 and was listed as one of the UK’s top 50 innovators in Health Service Journal in 2013.

In the 2015 Queen’s New Year’s Honours List, he was honored with an OBE for his services to healthcare. According to Sky News, he reportedly has an estimated net worth of £415 million and made the list in the 2023 edition of Sunday Times Rich List.

Frank Hester's political affiliations go back as far as David Cameron, when he joined the then-PM on a trip to India in 2013 as part of Britain's biggest ever-trade delegation. In 2023, he personally donated £5 million to Rishi Sunak and in 2024, he made an additional £5 million donation through his company.

---

What did Frank Hester say about Diane Abbott?

According to The Guardian, Frank Hester's alleged remarks about Diane Abbott were made at his company's headquarters in 2019, where he claimed that the latter made him "want to hate all black women" and that she " should be shot."

“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," he allegedly remarked.

Hester has since apologized for the remarks, but also claimed that his comments "had nothing to do with her gender nor color of skin."

As per The BBC, his remarks were immediately rebuked by MPs and Downing Street when they were made public, with a spokesperson for Rishi Sunak stating on Tuesday evening that the alleged comments were "racist and wrong." They continued:

"The prime minister is clear there is no place for racism in public life, and as the first British-Asian prime minister leading one of the most ethnically diverse Cabinets in our history, the UK is living proof of that fact."

Diane Abbott called the comments "frightening" and has reported Hester to the Parliamentary Liaison and Investigations Team, a Met Police unit set up following the murder of MP Jo Cox in 2016.

Abbott was the first black woman elected to the Parliament and has been the longest-serving black MP. She was a Labour MP for more than 35 years until her suspension in April 2023 when she claimed that Jewish, Irish, and Traveller people were not subject to racism “all their lives.” She is currently awaiting judgment about her reinstatement.