POLICE launched an investigation today into racist comments reportedly made by major Tory Party donor Frank Hester at a meeting in 2019.

The probe comes after Mr Hester allegedly said that Diane Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving black MP, made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot.”

Mr Hesters remarks were reportedly made during a work meeting at the Phoenix Partnership, the healthcare technology company where he serves as CEO.

West Yorkshire Police will investigate as the meeting took place in Horsforth, Leeds.

A spokesperson said officers were now “working to establish the facts and to ultimately ascertain whether a crime has been committed.”

They said: “As we continue our inquiry, we are keen to hear from anyone who could directly assist our investigation.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was criticised for being a soft touch with Mr Hester, who has donated at least £10 million to the Tory Party in the last year.

He said that Mr Hester’s alleged “remorse should be accepted” and only acknowledged that the comments were racist after Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch broke ranks to call them out.

In a scathing letter to Mr Sunak, signatories including Operation Black Vote and the Muslim Council of Britain, wrote: “The fact that Mr Hester felt emboldened to express such vile sentiments, to begin with, speaks to an increasingly normalised culture of racism that has been allowed to fester under the current administration.”

At a rally last week, Ms Abbott told Channel 4 News: “They keep saying that the Hester guy, he’s apologised.

“He’s not apologised. He’s apologised for being rude, whereas in fact he was racist, and he’s not apologised for that.

“In fact, he was inciting violence. He’s not apologised for that.”