Frank Hester donated further £5m to Tories in January,

Data also shows party accepted £150,000 from Hester days after comments about Diane Abbott condemned as racist were revealed

Frank Hester, the businessman at the centre of a row about comments condemned as racist and misogynistic, gave the Conservative party a further £5m in January, figures released by the Electoral Commission show.

The donation, made by his company, the Phoenix Partnership (TPP), cements his status as the Tories’ single biggest donor, with a total of £15m now given by Hester either personally or through his company.