Thousands donated to Tory contenders

It can be difficult now to cast one’s mind back to the beginning of last month, when the field for next Tory leader was wide open and an exciting array of candidates were jostling for attention. Among them, of course, was Tom Tugendhat, the great bright hope of the One Nation group. He crashed out in fifth but there is one aspect in which he appears to have been the winner of this contest: his recorded donations have blown his rivals out of the water.

According to the register of MPs’ interests, the most recent returns show Tugendhat receiving donations worth more than £123,000 for the sole purpose of his leadership campaign. For context, Kemi Badenoch, who finished fourth, received just £12,500 from Longrow Capital and Joanne Black while Suella Braverman, who came sixth, got £10,000 from First Corporate and a £2,000 discount on digital services from consultants Ethan R Wilkinson Ltd.