Who is Diane Abbott's ex-husband? UK MP's past relationships explored amid Frank Hester's comments

A Tory donor's alleged comments about MP Diane Abbott were "racist and wrong", as per Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's official spokesperson. The spokesperson said on Tuesday, March 12, that the Prime Minister believes there's "no place for racism in public life".

Mr Sunak's comments came after Tory donor Frank Hester was accused of making racist comments about Diane Abbott. As per reports published in The Guardian, Hester said in 2019 that Abbott made him "want to hate all black women" and that she "should be shot".

Hester is one of the biggest donors of the Conservative Party and has donated £10 million to them. The Tory donor apologized for his alleged comments, mentioning that they had "nothing to do with her gender nor color of skin".

Diane Abbott served as an MP since 1987 and is the first black woman to be elected to the Parliament. She is also the longest-serving black woman MP.

Abbott was previously married to a Ghanaian architect David Thompson since 1991. The couple divorced in 1993 and have a son together.

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Ex Labour MP Diane Abbott was married to David Thompson for 2 years

In 1991, Diane Abbott married David Thompson, an architect from Ghana. The couple were married for two years and divorced in 1993. They have a son together, James Abbott-Thompson, 32.

Abbott reportedly had a brief relationship with Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the late 1970s. Corbyn served as a councilor in north London in the 1970s, while Abbott was a civil liberties campaigner. Abbott later worked in the Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn between 2016 to 2020.

In 2015, a source close to Corbyn told Daily Mail that the Labour leader had a "fling" with Abbott after his first marriage broke. Corbyn has been married three times.

Corbyn and Abbott reportedly went on an East Germany motorbike tour during their alleged affair. Their relationship came to the forefront when Corbyn did not step up after Abbott accused a fellow woman Labour MP, reported Daily Mail.

As per Daily Mail, Corbyn did not keep his relationship with Diane Abbott a secret. Abbott frequently stayed back at Corbyn's home. She reportedly worked at the National Council for Civil Liberties when she began her relationship with Corbyn.

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Downing Street calls Frank Hester's alleged comments about Diane Abbott 'racist'

On Monday, March 11, The Guardian reported that in 2019, Frank Hester allegedly said that Ms. Abbott makes him "hate all black women" and she "should be shot". As per The Guardian, Mr Hester said:

"It's like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you're just like I hate, 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."

On March 12, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesperson said that Tory donor Frank Hester's alleged comments about Diane Abbott were "racist and wrong." The official statement said:

"The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong. He has now rightly apologised for the offence caused and where remorse is shown it should be accepted."

The spokesperson mentioned that the Prime Minister has "no place for racism in public life." He continued:

"The prime minister is clear there is no place for racism in public life and as the first British-Asian prime minister leading one of the most ethnically diverse cabinets in our history, the UK is living proof of that fact."

Previously, Mr Sunak's spokesperson described Hester's alleged comments as "unacceptable" but did not call them racist or sexist. However, Downing Street changed their mind and issued a statement calling Hester's words racist on Tuesday.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch was the first Cabinet minister to call Hester's comments "racist" on X (formerly Twitter), but said that there should be "space for forgiveness."

As per BBC, Mr Sunak has received calls to return the money donated by Frank Hester to the Conservative Party. The Metropolitan Police also said on Tuesday that they received complaints in context of the reports published by The Guardian.

Mr. Hester has since then apologized for his comments, mentioning that he is "deeply sorry" but claimed that his words "had nothing to do with her gender nor color of skin".