Primary wins overnight and in the sport. This morning, on a nervy night in north london, david rayais night in north london, david raya is the hero as arsenal scrape past porto on penalties. Scrape past porto on penalties. Novak djokovic loses to the world number 123, and the darts player banned for punching his opponent. Good morning. Theyll be very heavy rain across northWestern Areas through the next few days, but elsewhere it will be very mild. Find out all the details with me a little later. Mild. Find out all the details with me a little later. On. With me a little later. On. Right. Racist and wrong. Prime minister didnt say that, but a spokesperson did after hes branded the comments made by a Major Tory Party donor about the first woman black mp, diane abbott. Over night. The comments came from frank hester. Yeah, and he is one of the partys biggest donors. He gave £10 million to the conservatives, and he told a meeting that diane abbott should be shot and made him want to hate all black women. He has since apologised. Since apologised. However, its the lack of immediate condemnation of his remarks which are now causing the Prime Minister a political headache. The Prime Minister a political headache. Lets go to james headache. Lets go to james price, who joins us now. Hes former chief of staff to Nadhim Zahawi, james, this is the whole thing. What has taken the Prime Minister . What does he need a spokesperson to say this . Well i think that these stories come along and they blow out of the water. The kind of carefully crafted government grid, the kind of narrative, the things the government would like to be talking about on the day , and, talking about on the day, and, you know, he is the Prime Minister of a Major NuclearWorld Economic power. And one would that hes got other would hope that hes got other things. On, on the things. He has to do on, on the set a week to, to get things set of a week to, to get things going again. Obviously everybody, its stupid everybody, you know, its stupid and to have said and unpleasant to have said these things. There was this, was or was it just was it racist or was it just unwise . Right . I think probably not. The best person not. Im not the best person place to i wouldnt have place to say i wouldnt have said these things. Sure this said these things. Im sure this chap , thinking back, wouldnt chap, thinking back, wouldnt have wanted to have said any of this stuff. Yeah, but wait a minute, well, doddie aid whatever. If i was minister, i would was the Prime Minister, i would immediately was immediately know if this was right wrong. Its obviously right or wrong. Its obviously wrong. I know why the man wrong. I dont know why the man isnt i need isnt saying it. Why i need someone say it him, someone else to say it for him, how much of its got to do with £10 million . You look like having back. Having to hand back. I think that thats. Yeah, i think that thats. That nub of it, doesnt that gets the nub of it, doesnt it . Although it seem a very it . Although it does seem a very odd for this guy to odd punishment for this guy to have said something stupid. And what get in return . He what does he get in return . He gets million back. Gets his £10 million back. True. But i mean, thats true. But i mean, look, me, this smells of look, to me, what this smells of is from the prime is weakness from the Prime Minister. He was quite minister. And he was quite clearly pushed a corner by clearly pushed into a corner by kemi who came out and Kemi Badenoch, who came out and called it said, this is called it and said, this is racist, call a spade racist, lets call a spade a spade. William hague, former conservative also conservative party leader, also saying and took the saying that. And it took the Prime Minister following on from what to what they were saying, to actually his position. Actually change his position. And good look. And thats not a good look. Yeah, i think it certainly speaks very of kemi speaks very well of Kemi Badenoch shes able badenoch that shes able just to come say, just come out and as you say, just just these things straight. Just set these things straight. And had these sorts of and shes had these sorts of issues in her previous brief, she to be the woman in she used to be the woman in equalities minister as well. So shes of quite well placed shes kind of quite well placed to these things. I like to work on these things. I like to work on these things. I like to that to think that perhaps that theres of theres just a level of reticence to into these reticence to wade into these sorts issues because people sorts of issues because people are so desperate not to say the wrong and trouble. Wrong thing and get in trouble. I think its just a i dont think that its just a case they want well, case that they want to. Well, you could hardly say the wrong thing. Theres only the right thing to say. No, you stand to say. no, you to say. No, you stand on the no, you cant stand on the steps of number 10 and say you want highest standards of want the highest standards of decency your cabinet, and decency within your cabinet, and then something wrong, then just call something wrong, but why. Youve got the but not say why. Youve got the time space say time and space to say somethings wrong, but cant somethings wrong, but you cant admit what its wrong, what the grievance its grievance is. Its just its unacceptable. He did that. He got in the end. But is it got there in the end. But is it too late for him . I mean, weve heard about this emergency meeting 1922 Committee Meeting with the 1922 committee behind closed doors. Hes in a very difficult position, rishi sunak. Ice, isnt sunak. Hes on thin ice, isnt he . I wouldnt envy him in this position right now. It just seems one more difficult seems its one more difficult thing after another. Thing after after another. I think that the problem think that maybe the problem hes particular case hes got in this particular case is you were so used is that, you know, were so used to culture now, to cancel culture now, right . Someone something someone says something from a long time i think these long time ago. I think these comments were five years ago. Well, the worlds quite well, the worlds changed quite a in five years. Stupid a lot even in five years. Stupid things whos things that this guy whos a super businessman super successful businessman employs his whole employs lots of people his whole life be ruined by this issue. Life to be ruined by this issue. Now, i think it was Kemi Badenoch should badenoch that said, there should be grace period now. Be a kind of grace period now. And is things like and you know, it is things like forgiveness that has made the modern world. And hope modern world. And lets hope that rishi can now get back to focusing on massive do list. So i cant h so i cant see what your grace period is saying. It makes you want hate all black women you want to hate all black women or this woman. I dont or shoot this woman. I dont really that was. It really see how that was. It wasnt bad that five wasnt so bad to say that five years ago. Dont get that mate. No, i think thats a fair point. But i think you point. But i think that, you know, what the context of know, what is the context of this . He trying be, this . Was he trying to be, i dont know, one of the lads in a meeting and sort of go on like that and try and think, oh, isnt this funny . Im trying to get a bit of banter, you know, hes Successful Software hes a Successful Software company engineer, maybe not known humour, known for their sense of humour, but know, how many people but you know, how many people from diverse backgrounds rishi sunak amongst them . Have you know, yesterday must have been if the been asking themselves if the government going call government are not going to call out racism, then what does that say my status in this say about my status in this country, in society, people have been in who serve been born in britain who serve like rishi sunak serving his country, people are afraid country, but people are afraid to call, you know, its just such a bad message to be sending out. Yeah, i think thats fair. You know, my old boss, you mentioned Nadhim Zahawi born in baghdad, came over here when he was years fleeing was nine years old, fleeing saddam husseins squads, saddam husseins death squads, subject kinds of subject of all kinds of horrendous but i think, horrendous abuse. But i think, you again, we sight you know, again, we lose sight of real problems of what are the real problems here is this guy here in society. Is it this guy saying stupid things . Its saying these stupid things . Its not most awful crime not the most awful race crime thats happened. When you thats ever happened. When you look at diane abbott, of look at diane abbott, some of the things shes come out the things that shes come out and you know, chairman and said, you know, chairman mao, more good mao, on balance, did more good than the man was than harm. The man was responsible for the deaths of more people in human more people than anyone in human history. Kind history. And his kind of communist shes communist ideology. Shes currently the labour currently not got the labour whip said that whip because she said that jewish roma people jewish people and roma people cant themselves. Cant suffer racism themselves. So, almost a way so, you know, its almost a way of of being able to of kind of her being able to dodge this now. Well know, dodge this now. Well you know, two have been killed in the two mps have been killed in the past five years, you know, murdered in past years. Murdered in the past five years. Still think its a so i just still think its a its a no go, completely taboo area. Me ask you area. But let me ask you Something Else, james, £10 million. Does the million. Where does the conservative party come up with £10 million . Its okay. People saying hand this money back. Could they do that . Could they actually do that . Would have their access to would they have their access to £10 million . Well, i think people always get this. The scale of money in british politics is always massively overestimated. Right . This is the biggest donation that the tories have ever had. The labour party, bankrolled by the trade unions. But the amount of money in british politics is really small fry, and ive been there on the inside. The amount of influence that it gets you is wonderfully, influence that it gets you is wonde|youre going to small. Youre going to talk about the American Election coming billions of coming up soon. Its billions of dollars they get spent on that. And they have real influence in these things. In britain, these things. But in britain, wonderfully, you only spend wonderfully, you can only spend what, in an election what, 12 grand in an Election Campaign per constituency. I think really lucky that we think were really lucky that we dont have that kind of, money influencing politics. Despite so you dont think despite the dont think sunak the calls, you dont think sunak or the tories would be able to put their hands in the till and say, look, okay, have this £10 million back . Well, i think that the Prime Minister personally could probably fill the stop gap should he need i think his should he need to. I think his wealth has been fairly widely reported, but i think, you reported, but i do think, you know, is money. At the end know, this is money. At the end of day, thats going to go of the day, thats going to go on just the salaries of on just paying the salaries of ordinary people inside the conservative who believe conservative party who believe in of tories in the missions of the tories and these of things and all these sorts of things coming the election. Coming into the election. So that back to line that money to go back to line the of a guy whos the pockets of a guy whos already quite rich at the expense of, frankly, of peoples jobs the election, jobs going into the election, you i that perhaps you know, i think that perhaps the punishment is the guy punishment enough is being by the being kind of castigated by the worlds and if he worlds media for now. And if he gets money back as well, he gets his money back as well, he could just take himself on a nice holiday rather it be spent on to fight the labour on trying to fight the labour party concerned, party as far as im concerned, lets about the post lets talk about the post office, we . Office, shall we . Government putting the government putting through emergency legislation to exonerate the wrongfully convicted hugely welcome news. Slight concern that a couple of people through people might slip through the net guilty of net who are actually guilty of crimes and could be exonerated, but on the balance, this is but on on the balance, this is this is a good move. Absolutely. Youre yeah, absolutely. If youre the subpostmaster the one, the one subpostmaster who things, youve who was stealing things, youve got thinking, oh, how did got to be thinking, oh, how did i get away with this now . But no, youre completely right. By and it shows as well and large. What it shows as well is enough is that when theres enough pressure that pressure on something that parliament act. Parliament can actually act. Weve you know, weve been seeing, you know, theres a huge amount of theres not a huge amount of legislation at the legislation being done at the moment. The of challenges moment. The scale of challenges that has. And, know, that britain has. And, you know, we dont see that the British State acting with the kind state is acting with the kind of speed and speed that it needs to, and it is upsetting that taken is upsetting that its taken a Television Drama for this kind of injustice to be righted. But least it has been, and but at least it has been, and theres going to a small theres going to be a small amount of compensation out theres going to be a small an all1t of compensation out theres going to be a small an all of f compensation out theres going to be a small an all of thoseipensation out theres going to be a small an all of those involved, out theres going to be a small anall of those involved, but out to all of those involved, but not what theyre not anything like what theyre owed. Know, thats not owed. You know, thats not likely happen in likely to happen in this parliament, it . Parliament, is it . I fear thats probably the case. But again, maybe this can set other set a precedent for when other scandals come along scandals like this come along again, people will actually scandals like this come along agilistened people will actually scandals like this come along agilistened to ople will actually scandals like this come along agilistened to and will actually scandals like this come along agilistened to and itill actually scandals like this come along agilistened to and it wontjally scandals like this come along agilistened to and it wont take be listened to and it wont take mr bates versus the post office to get these kind of things going. We cant have government being i think being done by this. And i think it another structural it just shows another structural weakness think is weakness with what i think is the real problem in the United Kingdom the moment, is kingdom at the moment, which is that Civil Service is so that the Civil Service is so stuck the mud and not able stuck in the mud and not able to get we get anything done. We cant build infrastructure. We build any infrastructure. We cant we cant cant build any houses, we cant do of these things. And it do any of these things. And it takes Television Drama for us takes a Television Drama for us even to get justice for these poor postmasters. Okay, james. Thank you. Interesting take on things, james, political james, as a political commentator, much commentator, thank you very much indeed. Speak again later. Thank you. Youve got a view you. If youve got a view gbviews gbnews. Com. News gbviews gbnews. Com. Other news coming into the newsroom this morning. This is what weve got for you. Keir starmer has promised a vote on assisted dying if he wins the next election. Speaking to dame election. Speaking to dame esther recently esther rantzen, who recently revealed joined the revealed shes joined the assisted dying clinic dignitas, and admitted hes personally and he admitted hes personally in favour of changing the law for the couple arrested in connection with an investigation into a funeral home in hull, have both been bailed , a total have both been bailed, a total now of 35 bodies and what police have called a quantity of suspected human ashes have now been moved to another mortuary after Police Received more than 1000 phone complaints from the public. We want to hear from you on this story. Have you been affected . Vaiews gbnews. Com a rematch between donald trump and joe biden is set as both passed the delegate threshold and secured the presumptive nominations for republicans and democrats overnight. The nominations will be made official come the summer at Party Conventions. The 81 at Party Conventions. The 81 year old president has said hes honoured voters backed his re election despite questions over his age in recent weeks. So over his age in recent weeks. So apparently what joe biden is doing or going to do is to joke about his age in almost everything. So theyve done a everything. So theyve done a number of little sketches and they they laugh at this and whatever it is, which i think is appalling. Yeah. Its not funny. Yeah. Its not funny. I dont think its funny. I dont think its funny. Not a laughing matter. Not a laughing matter. I think theres lots of people who are elderly and people who are very elderly and very and there are very sensible, and there are lots of people who arent, and youre either one or the other, and you cant just say, oh, deary i didnt press deary me, i didnt mean to press that just had that button because i just had a moment whatever it was, but moment or whatever it was, but it lo