Tories buoyed by receiving double Reform's donations

The Conservatives have received twice as much money from donors as Reform in the first three months of this year, even as they sink in the polls.

- KATE DEVLIN, ARCHIE MITCHELL, ALICJA HAGOPIAN and DAVID MADDOX

The financial backing will come as a boost to the under-pressure Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, days after her party dropped to fourth place in a major poll.

Ms Badenoch’s party took in £3.4m, Reform £1.5m, Sir Keir Starmer’s party £2.4m and the Liberal Democrats £1.5m, the Electoral Commission statistics show.

The Tories hit out at Reform – also under pressure after losing and regaining its chair in recent days – saying it had “failed to secure the donations they claimed were coming” and had a “fantasy approach to finances”.

The Conservatives said Reform UK party sources in January “claimed a dinner in Mayfair had secured over £1m in pledges, yet there is no evidence in the latest Electoral Commission figures that support this”.