After the Diane Abbott racism row, Sunak needs to consider his next move carefully

Rishi Sunak has finally admitted the words said by Frank Hester were indeed racist and sexist, after pressure from the public and possibly his own MPs. He may also have been motivated to do so by Michael Gove’s approaching re-definition of extremism. Sunak needs to consider his next move carefully. By accepting Hester’s money and being so slow off the mark to criticise him, the Tory party maybe appear to be endorsing him by association.

The move then by Gove then to redefine extremism and ban a list of protest groups which the government deems to be a “danger to democracy” may be a destructive move indeed.

Alan Pack