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Kemi Badenoch Breaks Ranks To Say Frank Hester’s Comments About Diane Abbott Were ‘Racist’

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Kemi Badenoch has said Tory donor Frank Hester’s alleged comments about Diane Abbott were “racist” as pressure mounted on Rishi Sunak to do the same.

The Guardian reported that Hester said in 2019 that said Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.

That led to calls for the Tories to hand back the £10 million he gave to the party last year.

A spokesman for TPP, the tech firm Hester runs, said he “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.

Downing Street repeatedly refused today to call the remarks “racist”, insisting instead that they were “unacceptable”.

A spokeswoman for the prime minister, who spent the day working in No.10, told reporters: “What is alleged and reported to have been said would clearly have been unacceptable, but we are not going to characterise further alleged comments from source reporting.”

But Badenoch broke ranks with the PM to make her views clear on X (formerly Twitter).

She said: “Hester’s 2019 comments, as reported, were racist.

“I welcome his apology. Abbott and I disagree on a lot. But the idea of linking criticism of her, to being a black woman is appalling. It’s never acceptable to conflate someone’s views with the colour of their skin.

“MPs have a difficult job balancing multiple interests -often under threats of intimidation as we saw recently in parliament.

“Some people make flippant comments without thinking of this context. This is why there needs to be space for forgiveness where there is contrition.”

Meanwhile, health minister Maria Caulfield told the BBC: “I condemn these comments – I personally do find them racist- it’s not something we should be kind of excusing in any way.”

The comments were at odds with fellow ministers Graham Stuart and Mel Stride, both of whom sought to play down the row earlier today.

Stuart, the energy minister, said Hester made his comments “half a decade ago”, while work and pensions secretary Stride said “we need to move on”.

In his first public comments on the row, Hester said “racism … is a poison that has no place in public life”.

He added: “The UK benefits immensely from the rich diversity of people – like my parents – who had roots in another land, religion and culture.

“We should celebrate those differences which have made us the world’s most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy. And we should have the confidence to discuss our differences openly and even playfully without seeking to cause offence.”

In a statement, Diane Abbott said: “It is frightening. I live in Hackney and do not drive, so I find myself, at weekends, popping on a bus or even walking places more than most MPs.

“I am a single woman and that makes me vulnerable anyway. But to hear someone talking like this is worrying.”

“The fact that two MPs have been murdered in recent years makes talk like this all the more alarming.”

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Cabinet Minister Slammed For Saying ‘Move On’ Over Frank Hester’s Dianne Abbott Comments

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A cabinet minister has been condemned after he said people need to “move on” from a race row engulfing the Tory Party’s biggest donor.

Frank Hester, who gave the Conservatives £10 million last year, reportedly said Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.

But work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said that while the remarks were “inappropriate”, it was not “a gender-based or a race-based comment”.wes

He added: “He has apologised and I think we need to move on from that.”

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said Stride’s response showed the Tory Party was “rotten to its core and unfit for office”.

Former Tory adviser Sam Freedman said: “This line is so appalling that it can only be in use because Hester is demanding that they stick to his line.

“Mel Stride is not a stupid person. There is no way he thinks this is a good or reasonable line.”

Asked if the Tories should hand back the money Hester gave them, he said: “We can’t cancel anybody from participation in public life, or indeed donating to parties because they said something intemperate and wrong in their past.

“It’s not my decision, but I do welcome those who support the Conservative Party to ensure that we have Rishi Sunak – our first Hindu prime minister.”

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Sorry, What ― An Oscar Is Only Worth HOW Much?

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Of course, winning an Oscar is priceless. But buying one? Well, depending on who you are, that might be much cheaper than you think.

The first Oscar to be sold was hawked by Harold Russell in 1992 for a cool $55k.

And that’s a steal in comparison to other sales ― Steven Spielberg purchased Bette Davis’s 1938 Best Actress Oscar for $578,000, for instance, and in 2014, Joseph Wright’s 1943 Best Colour Art Direction Oscar for My Gal Sal sold for $79,200.

Not a bad profit considering the statue only costs $400 to make, right?

Well… wrong

Anyone who wins an Oscar has to sign an agreement that includes a 1951 no-resale rule introduced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 2015, a court ruling changed a rule that meant anyone selling an Oscars statue should offer it to the Academy for $10 first, and lowered it to one measly dollar.

“Award winners shall not sell or otherwise dispose of the Oscar statuette, nor permit it to be sold or disposed of by operation of law, without first offering to sell it to the Academy for the sum of $1.00,” says the Academy’s site.

“This provision shall apply also to the heirs and assigns of Academy Award winners who may acquire a statuette by gift or bequest.“

The Academy has successfully sued people who have tried to sell their Oscar without first giving them their $1 shot ― including the owner and auction house behind the Joseph Wright sale we mentioned before.

In that case, the statue was returned to the Academy.

So, technically an Oscar is only worth a single US dollar (blood, sweat, and tears nonrefundable).

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Lee Anderson Used To Think That MPs Who Defect Should Face Being Kicked Out Of Parliament

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Lee Anderson used to believe that MPs who defect to other parties should face being kicked out of parliament, it has emerged.

The former Tory deputy chairman announced this morning that he was switching to Reform UK.

Asked whether he would now call a by-election in his Ashfield seat, both Anderson and Reform UK leader Richard Tice said there was no need because the general election will take place soon.

But in 2020, Anderson backed a private members’ bill calling for MPs who change parties to face a recall petition so their constituents could decide whether they should be forced to trigger a by-election.

The Recall of MPs (Change of Party Affiliation) Bill was debated by the Commons on September 2 that year.

Its proposer, Anthony Mangnall, said changing parties “is clearly a breach of the spirit of the contract between ourselves and our constituents”.

He added: “Parties are often more visible than the candidate, from their leaders to their cabinets and their manifestos. They act as a magnet to either attract or repel voters to or from to their cause.

“So when a candidate who has campaigned using those logos, promoting that manifesto and supporting that leader switches sides, they are doing so against everything they told the thousands of voters they connected with during the election. This is not promoting democracy; it is degrading it.”

Anderson was one of 55 MPs who voted for the bill, which has not made it to the statute book.

But despite his previous stance, Anderson – who lost the Tory whip last month over comments he made about Sadiq Khan – today said he was switching sides because “I want my country back”.

He has already been removed from all Tory MP WhatsApp groups, and faced criticism from some of his former colleagues in the party.

However, Conservative backbencher Mark Pritchard told Sky News that “the door will always be left open” for Anderson is he wants to return.

He said: “Lee will always be welcome in the Conservative Party if he decides to come back.”

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The Hilariously Relatable Reason Jamie Lee Curtis Left The Oscars Early

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Jamie Lee Curtis, who won Best Supporting Actress last year for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, attended last night’s Oscars awards in a glam black gown.

The actor was there to co-present the Best Supporting Actress award (which went to Da’vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers this year).

However, she left early ― which is relatable in and of itself, but which becomes way more “she’s just like me”-level real when you realise why.

So… why?

Basically, she was hungry.

The actor posted on Instagram after the event to say that she’d dropped out as soon as she’d finished presenting to grab an In’N’out burger, sharing a snap of the tempting melee of fries and buns.

“FLY IN [check emoji] GET FLUFFED AND FOLDED [check emoji] PRESENT AT OSCARS [check emoji] GO TO @inandout_burger [check emoji] FLY AWAY,” the post read.

Predictably, commenters were full of praise

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Oscars 2024: Jimmy Kimmel Takes Down Trump With Just Six Words

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During Sunday’s show, moments before Al Pacino hit the stage to present Best Picture to “Oppenheimer,” Kimmel announced that he had a minute or so to spare before the end of the ceremony.

So, of course, he spent the time talking about his favourite hot topic: Trump.

Revealing that the former president had left him a scathing review of his hosting abilities on Truth Social, Kimmel began reading Trump’s message aloud from his phone to the audience.

“Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars? His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be. Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC talent, George Slopanopoulos,” the late night host read. “He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous.

“Blah, blah, blah,” Kimmel ad-libbed. “Make America Great Again.”

Kimmel didn’t finish reading the rest of Trump’s negative review, but the crowd roared in response to the non-scripted moment.

“Thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching,” Kimmel quipped. “I’m surprised you’re still.”

And then, the six word zinger.

“Isn’t it past your jail time?”

Check out the complete list of Oscar winners here.

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Oscars 2024: Al Pacino’s Chaotic Slip-Up During Best Picture Award Is Honestly Amazing

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It’s safe that Al Pacino’s presentation of the night’s most important award is going to go down in history for how short, sweet and unbelievably ‘I don’t give af’ it was.

Rather than announcing the nominees for the award, The Godfather star simply went straight to opening the envelope before saying “my eyes see Oppenheimer.”

Zero suspense, zero build-up, no ‘the Academy Award goes to…’ for the biggest award of the night. Just straight up chaos – and honestly, we love to see it.

For the record, the nominees were: American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall,
Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Past Lives, Poor Things, The Zone of Interest and well, Oppenheimer.

Naturally X users (formerly Twitter) were quick to share their takes… and did not disappoint:

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The Powerful Meaning Behind Danielle Brooks’ Number 26 Oscars Manicure

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Danielle Brooks paid tribute to Black female nominees who came before her with a statement manicure at this year’s Oscars.

The Color Purple actor, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this year’s ceremony had the number 26 featured on her nails as she took to the red carpet.

She said: “I have ’26’ on my nail, because I’m the 26th black woman to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress, so I had to at least honour that.”

Brooks received her first ever Oscar nomination for her role as Sofia in last year’s “The Color Purple,” a musical adaptation of the classic Alice Walker novel of the same name. She has also played Sofia in Broadway productions of “The Color Purple.”

The actor also received nominations for her performance at other award shows this season, including the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Speaking about her recent award show recognition, Brooks told Entertainment Tonight last month that she “could have never imagined it being mapped out like this.”

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The 3 Major Reasons Why Women Get Much Worse Healthcare Than Men

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Following a TikTok user pointing out that her partner received more aftercare following his vasectomy than she did after giving birth, Dr Karan Raj stepped in to explain why women are still getting the short straw when it comes to healthcare, and specifically pain relief.

Dr Raj said that this is down to a combination of systemic unconscious bias, a lack of research, as well as a failure to acknowledge biological differences in how women process pain.

All of that has led to pain being dismissed, misdiagnosed or undertreated which can have lethal consequences.

Love. That. For. Us.

Why women’s healthcare still falls behind

The surgeon added that despite advances in healthcare, women are diagnosed ‘significantly’ later across over 700 diseases and in some cases, such as endometriosis, waiting up to 10 years for diagnosis.

Frustratingly, he also revealed that sometimes, women’s pain is wrongly attributed to psycological causes and the word ‘hysteria’ was only removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM classification.

Additionally, women’s health and specifically pain-focused research is less likely to be studied in clinical trials which makes effective treatment difficult to find.

He admitted that to this day, we don’t know how women metabolise and react to various pain medications or how women experience or manifest pain.

Finally, he said that because there are so many knowledge and gender gaps when it comes to women’s pain, “It’s imperative that we treat the pain the patient has, not the pain we think the patient should have.”

How to advocate for yourself at the doctors

According to the period health experts at Clue, these are the best ways to advocate for yourself at a doctor’s appointment:

  • Be prepared and assertive. Write a list of symptoms to discuss with your doctor and on the day, , give the doctor the facts about your symptoms and don’t downplay your symptoms
  • Ask questions. For example, if you don’t feel that your doctor has considered alternatives, simply say, “is there anything else it could be?”
  • Try to not be pressured into treatment that you don’t want to do. It’s normal to need a second opinion and listening to your own thoughts and feelings matters, too
  • Take notes at your appointment to ensure that you remember everything that’s said and can refer back to them in future appointments
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This Is What Your Bedtime Procrastination Is Doing To Your Sleep Quality

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Do you ever find yourself putting off going to bed? It’s so strange, we complain about how tired we are all day, how much we’d love just a couple more hours in bed but when the time actually comes, suddenly there’s another episode we need to watch, another chapter to read, just one more scroll of social media.

We’re our own worst enemies.

According to Max Kirsten, Resident Sleep Expert for Panda London, this is actually something called ‘bedtime procrastination’ or ‘bedtime delay’ and it is the act of unnecessarily delaying going to bed despite having the intention to sleep.

What is bedtime procrastination and how do we overcome it?

According to Kirsten, there are several factors that contribute to bedtime procrastination:

Psychological factors

Kirsten warns that stress, anxiety, and mood disorders can contribute to bedtime procrastination. Even just the thought of facing another day, unresolved issues at work or home, can make bedtime seem daunting, prompting sleep delaying as a temporary distraction.

Poor time management

If you’re prone to procrastination throughout the day, that is likely to seep into your evening, warns Kirsten. This can lead to people postponing bedtime in favour of completing tasks or indulging in leisure activities.

Spending too much time with screens and technology

The convenience of phones and tablets means that it’s easier than ever to engage in stimulating activities late into the night. The blue light emitted from these screens can interfere with our sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to fall asleep, even once the devices have been put away.

How bedtime procrastination impacts our sleep

Disrupts the circadian rhythm

Kirsten warns that consistently delaying bedtime can disrupt the body’s internal clock, making it harder to fall asleep and wake up at the same time each day. This inconsistency can then lead to sleep disturbances and contribute to insomnia and sleep deprivation.

Poor sleep quality

Even if you do fall asleep after procrastinating, the quality of your sleep may be compromised. According to Kirsten, sleep that is fragmented or interrupted by frequent awakenings is less restorative and can leave individuals feeling groggy and unrefreshed upon waking.

Impact moods and mental health

Sleeping poorly can impact your mental health and emotional well-being, leading to irritability, mood swings, difficulty concentrating and heightened stress levels. Kirsten urges that over time, chronic sleep deprivation may contribute to the development or exacerbation of anxiety and depression.

How to stop procrastinating before bed

Make sure you have a consistent routine

Kirsten recommends that you establish a regular bedtime and wake-up time and ensure that you stick to it even on weekends as consistency helps to regulate the body’s internal clock and promotes better sleep quality.

Create a relaxing bedtime routine

Developing a calming bedtime routine signals to your body that it’s time to wind down. Kirsten recommends reading, taking a warm bath or trying some relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or meditation.

Limit screen time before bed

Avoid using electric devices for at least an hour before bed, as the blue light emitted from them can interfere with melatonin production and disrupt sleep.

Address any underlying issues

If you feel that stress, anxiety, or mood disorders are the underlying cause of your procrastination, seek support from a mental health professional.

Help and support:

  • Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
  • Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
  • CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
  • The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
  • Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
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