Final Tory leadership candidates' donations rise to £900,000

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have received the most donations, with £346,000 and £266,000 respectively.

The final two candidates in the Tory leadership race have received donations totalling almost £900,000 in the past three months, according to the Electoral Commission.

Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, has received the most donations, with £346,000. This includes £100,000 from Lord Bamford, the chairman of JCB, and £50,000 from Sir Michael Hintze, the founder of CQS.

Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has received £266,000 in donations. This includes £50,000 from Lord Goldsmith, the former environment secretary, and £25,000 from Lord Cruddas, the founder of the online trading platform CMC Markets.

The other two candidates in the race, Penny Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat, have received significantly less in donations. Mordaunt has received £104,000, while Tugendhat has received £74,000.

The donations figures show that Sunak and Truss are the clear frontrunners in the race to become the next Conservative leader and prime minister.

The leadership contest will conclude on September 5, when the new leader will be announced.