$11.5m in Tory war chest

The British Conservative Party has raised more than £5 million ($11.5 million) for its election war chest in just three months - far more than all the other political parties put together.

A series of wealthy donors gave lavish donations, while Lord Ashcroft, the Tory deputy chairman, spent a further £90,000 on the drive to capture crucial marginal seats.

The Electoral Commission announced that the Conservatives received £5,269,186 between July and September, compared with £3,045,377 given to Labour and £816,663 to the Liberal Democrats. Fifteen other parties received £401,372 between them.

The Tories raised £3,236,828 from individual donors, with the largest gift of £252,000 coming from Michael Farmer, a hedge fund manager.

The majority of Labour's donations came from the trade unions, with £760,825 coming from Unison, £601,053 from Unite's Amicus section and £305,150 from its TGWU section. Another £202,557 came from individuals and £194,543 from companies.

Labour had £9,768,122 in debts compared with £4,153,939 for the Conservatives.

- INDEPENDENT