What first attracted the Conservative Party to defend the millionaire donor, Frank Hester, who made racist comments about Diane Abbott? Mr Hester has since apologised for saying that Ms Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving black MP, made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.
But the spotlight now falls on Rishi Sunak. The Prime Minister has condemned the remarks as “racist and wrong”, but not before sending ministers out on media rounds who were clearly briefed not to call them as such. Why the Tories had to be dragged, seemingly kicking and screaming, to call racism what it is is both puzzling and disturbing.
The Conservatives now face growing calls to return Mr Hester’s donation, something its finances can ill afford. Yet remarkably, the party says it is prepared to take another significant donation from Mr Hester. Governing is full of difficult choices. Condemning blatant racism swiftly and wholeheartedly ought not be one of them.
White House rematch
It is not that Joe Biden is old, but Neil Kinnock — his sometime speech writer and former Labour leader — is at 81 the same age as the US president. Yet there is one thing even more important that Biden isn’t: Donald Trump.
Mr Trump is facing years in prison as a defendant in four criminal cases. He stands accused of fomenting an insurrection at the US Capitol. A jury found him liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E Jean Carroll in 1996. He has encouraged Vladimir Putin to invade European allies. And at 77 years of age, he is hardly a spring chicken himself.
Both Mr Biden and Mr Trump have effectively sealed their respective party’s presidential nominations with victories in a string of primaries, setting up a general election contest many Americans say they do not want.
Londoners, like the rest of the world, do not get a vote in US elections. But if they did, Mr Biden would likely enjoy a 50-state victory.
Bugged by Paris
Was it something we said? London has been knocked off its perch as Europe’s “most talked-about city” by Paris for the first time since rankings were launched in 2018 by ING. While the capital still grew its digital output by four per cent according to the study, Paris leapt by 21 per cent from 2022.
What with the Rugby World Cup last autumn and Olympics racing towards us this summer, it is perhaps not hugely surprising that Paris is being talked about. Though presumably at least some of the chatter revolved around that unfortunate invasion of bed bugs. Still, all publicity is good publicity, even if it involves bloodsucking insects.
