Conservatives benefit most from donations provided either before or after peers secured their seats
- Cash before honours: the Tory donors made peers who barely speak in Lords
Peers who sat in the House of Lords during the last parliament have given a combined £109m in political donations, almost £50m of which was contributed before they secured their seats.
A group of 20 super-donors – all male – have given more than £1m each.
Nearly £48m came from donors before they joined the Lords, with 91% of that sum going to the Conservatives.
Donations after joining the Lords were split more evenly, with 42% given to the Conservatives, 33% to Labour and 25% to the Lib Dems.
The top three donors were David Sainsbury, with £25m to Labour and the Lib Dems, and the Conservative supporters Anthony Bamford with £10m and Michael Farmer with £9m.
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