Former Formula 1 chief Max Mosley has donated £300,000 to Labour this year - making him the party's biggest individual donor behind the trade unions.

But despite the cash injection, Labour only managed to raise £2.65 million - around half the £5.5 million donated to the Tories, according to the Electoral Commission figures.

Mr Mosley, the millionaire son of Britain's war-time fascist leader Oswald Mosley, has led a celebrity campaign for tougher press regulation after a newspaper published photos of his sadomasochistic role play with prostitutes.

His support for Labour comes as the party has adopted a tough line on the press and called for a Leveson 2 inquiry to probe links between the media and police.

Max Mosley, pictured on Sunday Politics in January this year, has pumped £300,000 into the Labour Party in the first quarter of this year, official figures show

Tom Watson, pictured at the Labour manifesto launch in Bradford last week, has also received donations from the former Formula 1 tycoon

He gifted the money on January 1.

While Mr Mosley is almost single-handedly bankrolling Impress, the press regulator set up to offer ‘independent’ regulation under a state-backed scheme.

But critics have questioned whether it can be independent given its reliance on Mr Mosley’s millions.

DONATIONS TO POLITICAL PARTIES Here are the contributions to Britain's biggest political parties for the first quarter of 2017: Conservatives - £5,463,173 Labour Party - £2,648,315 Liberal Democrats - £603,155 Co-operative Party – £322,800 Ukip - £246,910 Green Party – £58,170 Plaid Cymru - £23,000 SNP - £3,300 Source: Electoral Commission


No national or regional newspaper has yet signed up to Impress, which has admitted it will rely on £3.8million in donations over four years from the Mosley family.

The Electoral Commission register, which today released figures covering party donations in the first quarter of this year, also shows that the Tories are pulling in far more than their rivals.

The Conservatives were given £5,463,173 in the first quarter of this year - nearly double the £2,648,315 Labour got.

Labour's biggest donor was Unite the union, run by Mr Corbyn's close ally Len McCluskey, which gave them £623,014.

The Liberal Democrats received £603,155 followed by the Co-Operative Party with £322,800 and Ukip on £246,910, according to the records.

Comedian Eddie Izzard donated £10,252 to the Labour party.

But by far the biggest donors to Mr Corbyn and his allies were trade unions.

Theresa May, pictured yesterday on the campaign trail in Wales, is attracting far more donations than Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party

Jeremy Corbyn, on the campaign trail in Hull yesterday, is losing the battle of the donations

Unite the union was the party’s biggest private donor with £623,014 over the three months.

They were followed by the union Usdaw which pumped £364,703 while £328,469 was donated by the union Unison.

The GMB donated £309,605 to Labour while the Communication Workers Union gave them £143,232, according to the records.