New Frank Hester race claims pile pressure on Tories over £15m donations

The Conservative party is facing questions over its decision to keep more than £15m given by its biggest ever donor,Hester is alleged to have referred to a staff member as the “token Muslim”, imitated people of Chinese descent and remarked that one individual was attractive for a black woman, according to former employees who spoke to the Guardian.

“He was going on a trip to China and he would pull his eyes and say, ‘when are we next going to China?’ in front of Chinese colleagues. You felt like you couldn’t say anything,” one former staffer claimed. Five ex-employees also alleged Hester referred repeatedly to one worker as the “token Muslim” for several years up to around 2016, owing to him being one of the only Muslims who worked at TPP at the time.

Another former employee alleged that in late 2013 they were assigned by Hester to work in India because of their ethnic background. They said Hester told them they had been picked “because you are a bit … tinged”. Hester gave his own definition of racism at the meeting, saying: “For me, racism is just a hatred and a fear of the other. For me, it is just exactly the same as homophobia – it’s not limited to the colour of your skin, it is not limited to religion, it can just be the country next door, it can just be the county next door. It can be northerners and southerners, which we have here.”

In response to the fresh allegations, Anneliese Dodds, chair of the Labour party, said it showed Hester had a “historical record” of making unacceptable comments.

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