Overview

• James Cleverly, a Conservative leadership candidate, has not ruled out accepting future donations from Frank Hester, despite Hester's past racist comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott.
• Hester has donated £15 million to the Conservative Party since 2023, including over £5 million during the general election campaign through his business, The Phoenix Partnership.
• Cleverly emphasized that Hester had apologized for his comments and that the donations were made to safeguard against a Labour government.
• Labour representatives criticized Cleverly, stating that he missed an opportunity to reject further donations from Hester, highlighting a perceived weakness in the Conservative leadership candidates.
• Keir Starmer is also under scrutiny for allegedly breaking parliamentary rules by not declaring clothing gifts for his wife, Victoria, funded by Labour donor Lord Alli.