Sun’s false claim Ed M’s in the pocket of the unions

Ed Miliband’s leadership campaign may not have the money that his older brother David’s does, but he is sure that the  support of 4,500 volunteers has made up for it. Figures released by the Electoral Commission today show that Ed’s fundraising last month overtook David’s by nearly £21,500.

Today’s ‘slur’ in the Sun, which describes various unions of trying to “buy” Miliband junior suggests that they are trying to pay for influence.

“Unite spent £200,000 on pro-Ed letters to 1.1million members. It also spent £20,000 on texts. Ed’s campaign got £28,000 from the GMB in July, and a £105,000 donation from Unite will be confirmed today.

“In return, they want Ed to boost their power if he ever gets to No10.”

In an email sent to members last night, Ed said:

“We still need your help in these final days if we are to make our strong campaign count, win this election and show that we can turn those values into action for the people we serve.”

So far, the campaign has raised a total of £328,000 with £133,000 donated by trade unions and £95,000 coming from small donations.

Other payments disclosed to the Electoral Commission show that David’s campaign, which is said to have raised over £450,000 since May, has taken a variety of donations, including from unions. Ed Balls has had £100,000 donated to him by author, Ken Follett, and an additional £23,000 from donors such as the Communication Workers Union. Andy Burnham has taken £37,4000 from businesses and individuals, including footballer Jamie Carragher.

Diane Abbott is yet to disclose any donations.

All information regarding disclosed donations to all five candidates is available from the Electoral Commission.