The Liberal Democrats have called on Rishi Sunak to give the latest donation from Frank Hester to a veterans’ charity after he ducked out of D-Day events early.
Electoral Commission data released on Thursday showed the Conservative Party accepted another £5 million from the businessman accused of saying Labour’s Diane Abbott “should be shot”.
It was reported in March that the Conservative backer said in 2019 that Ms Abbott – who in 1987 became the first black woman elected to Parliament – made him want to “hate all black women” and “should be shot”.
Rishi Sunak came under fire for his handling of the fallout from the remarks.
The Prime Minister eventually condemned the remarks as “racist” but resisted calls to return the money, saying the tech boss’s “remorse should be accepted”.
He is now facing calls to donate the cash to a veterans’ charity after he skipped out of D-Day events to attend a face-saving ITV interview.
Sunak has repeatedly apologised for leaving D-Day memorial events early but insisted voters should “judge me by my actions” in supporting the armed forces.
The Prime Minister left Normandy before a major international ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings so he could record a TV interview as part of his General Election campaign push for votes.
In the face of a backlash from political opponents and some in his own party, Mr Sunak admitted that “on reflection” he should have stayed for the event where world leaders including US President Joe Biden marked the sacrifice made by troops landing on the Normandy beaches in 1944.
Related: Public say Sunak’s decision to leave D-Day events early was ‘disgusting’
