PARTY CASH ROLLS IN

The Labour Party gained some ground in the political donations war earlier this year, according to the Electoral Commission, which is now responsible for overseeing the financing of political parties.

The Commission recently produced its first set of quarterly figures - but they only covered the six-week period from 16 February, when the Commission came into operation, to the end of March.

They showed that the Conservative Party received £555,201 in cash donations from companies and individuals while the Labour Party received almost four times that figure with £2.4 million. The Liberal Democrats received £175,655.

Labour's total of £2,400,508 included £643,325 from general union GMB, £449,730 from engineering and electrical union AEEU, and £307,575 from the general union T&G.

In addition eight companies gave a total of £43,975 to the party.