Two thirds of Conservative voters think Frank Hester’s comments about Diane Abbott were racist

New research from polling firm Savanta suggests that two thirds (64%) of Conservative voters believe that the Conservative Party’s biggest donor Frank Hester’s comments about Diane Abbott MP were racist.

This rises to seven in ten (70%) of the wider UK public, with six in ten (60%) saying his comments were sexist.

In polling taken since the government has refused to confirm if they will receive further funding from Hester (15-17 March), a majority (54%) of UK adults say that they think the Conservative Party should return Hester’s reported £10 million donation. This includes four in ten (39%) 2019 Conservative voters.

A significant proportion of the public (44%) believe that racism is widespread in the Conservative Party, including one in five (20%) of Conservative voters. And when asked which party is likely to be influenced by private donations from wealthy individuals, such as Frank Hester, the public were most likely to choose the Conservative Party (66%), with Labour (61%) second.

But there appears to be little appetite among the public from changing the current funding model of political parties. Four in ten (40%) would support state funding of parties, the lowest of any funding model, including private donations from wealthy individuals (56%).

Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta said, “The government’s original line in response to Frank Hester’s comments about Diane Abbott were that they were rude but not racist. Our research suggests that the public disagrees, including their own voters.”

“Leading Conservatives including the Prime Minister have attempted to draw a line under the saga and any future donations from Hester. But a majority of the public say they want to see his reported £10 million donation returned. That’s the short-term problem.”

“Longer-term term, nearly half of all UK adults believe that racism is widespread in the Conservative Party. That is a major electoral and moral challenge for a party that has traditionally struggled with ethnic minority voters.”