What was said about Diane Abbott was shameful – the Tory party’s reaction is even more so

Was what the leading Tory donor Frank Hester said about Diane Abbott racist and sexist? They speak for themselves: “It’s like trying not to be racist, but you see Diane Abbott on TV, and 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.” The fact that race and gender are the whole point of his remarks necessarily makes them racist and sexist, whatever personal philosophy Mr Hester may have tried to develop for himself about these societal challenges. In her words: “I’m a single woman and that makes me vulnerable anyway, but to hear someone talking like this is worrying… It is frightening.” After some delay, and against his usual habit of sending ministers out to defend the indefensible, the prime minister has condemned what Mr Hester said as “racist”. He should certainly have been moved by the powerful way that another politician of colour on the Conservative side was honest enough to declare that the words used by his party’s benefactor were “clearly racist and clearly sexist”.