Labour's election cash bonanza: Keir Starmer's party rakes in campaign donations totalling almost £10million - five times as much as the Tories - with anti-gambling campaigner among the last to chip in with £250,000 alongside union chiefs
Labour raked in almost five-times as much cash as the Tories to fund its successful election campaign, new figures revealed today.
The Electoral Commission reveled Sir Keir Starmer's party was handed almost £10million during the five-week campaign period as business and luvvies flocked to back it.
Private donations to the party totaled more than £9.5million, compared to the Conservatives' £1.8million.
The Tories' dismal fundraising campaign saw it given less than £200,000 more than the Liberal Democrats. Sir Ed Davey's party would go on to win its most seats in 100 years.
Figures released on Monday showed former professional poker player Derek Webb donated £250,000 to Labour. Mr Webb leads the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, which campaigned successfully to reduce the impact of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs).
Trade unions the GMB and the Fire Brigades Union each gave £100,000.
Figures released on Monday showed former professional poker player Derek Webb donated £250,000 to Labour. Mr Webb (centre) leads the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, which campaigns against Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs).
The largest donation to the Conservatives was £50,000 from Westminster Development Services, a property company set up by a consortium led by the Hinduja family. Prakash Hinduja was jailed last month in Switzerland for mistreating domestic staff
Labour received more than twice the amount of donations than the Conservatives in the final week of the General Election campaign.
The party raised £465,600 in private donations in the last week before polling day, with the Conservatives raising just £225,587.
The largest donation to the Conservatives was £50,000 from Westminster Development Services, a property company set up by a consortium led by the Hinduja family.
Figures published on Monday show Westminster Development Services, a consortium responsible for redeveloping the Old War Office on Whitehall into a Raffles hotel, made the donation to the Tories on July 1.
According to Companies House, Westminster Development Services is up to 50 per cent owned by AMC Project Services, which itself lists Prakash Hinduja, the chairman of the Hinduja Group and one of Britain's richest men, as its owner.
Some 10 days earlier, on June 21, Hinduja and three members of his family had been jailed by a Swiss court after being convicted of exploiting domestic workers at their mansion in Geneva.
Hinduja and his wife Kamal received sentences of four years and six months, while their son Ajay and his wife Namrata were jailed for four years.
The court said the four were guilty of exploiting workers and providing unauthorised employment, but dismissed more serious charges of human trafficking. The Hindujas' lawyers said the defendants planned to appeal against the decision.
The Conservative Party has been approached for comment.
Labour's largest donations came from Lord David Sainsbury (£2.5million), the Unison trade union (£1.49million) and Autoglass tycoon Gary Lubner (£900,000).
Another large donation came from a firm run by a former Bafta chairman who produced hit films including Love Actually and Four Weddings and Funeral.
Duncan Kenworthy's Toledo Productions handed over £500,000 shortly after the election was called.
It was the largest individual private donation at the time and accounted for more than half of the donations the party received in the first seven days of the campaign, according to the Electoral Commission.
Mr Kenworthy, 74, was the chairman of Bafta, the British film organisation, between 2004 and 2006. As well as his film credits he helped create Fraggle Rock alongside Muppets creator Jim Henson.
The Liberal Democrats managed to raise £1.7 million over the course of the campaign, boosted by a £100,000 donation in the final week from food business GADF Holdings.
Reform UK raised a total of £1.6 million over the campaign, including £45,000 in the final week thanks in part to a £20,000 donation from businesswoman Margaret Hepburn, who lives in Monaco.
Political parties are required to provide weekly reports of donations of more than £11,180, after the Government increased the threshold from £7,500 in January.
Parties still have 30 days after receiving a donation to check that it is from a permissible source and decide whether to accept it.
