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Twelve of Britain’s 21 richest hedge fund fat cats are Tory donors.

City wheeler dealers worth more than £9billion between them have bankrolled the Conservatives in the past.

They include the UK’s wealthiest fund manager, Michael Platt, whose personal fortune has leapt by £600million to £3billion in the past year, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List .

Figures from the Electoral Commission show Mr Platt, who co-founded Belgravia-based BlueCrest Capital, has given the Tory Party £225,000 since 2004.

The tycoon owns a private jet and homes in London, Switzerland and the US.

(Image: AFP)

Other Tory backers in this year’s list of fund barons include Sir Michael Hintze, who runs CQS.

Sir Michael’s wealth has jumped by £100million to nearly £1.4billion, says the new Rich List.

He has given the Tories £4.1million since 2002, according to Electoral Commission records.

However, not all big money Tory donors in the list have seen their wealth increase this year.

For example, Ski loving Alan Howard, who co-founded Brevan Howard, saw his estimated worth drop by £30million to just over £1billion.

Meanwhile, David Harding, who set-up Mayfair-based Winton Capital, is £300million worse off, according to research.

Mr Harding, who is still worth £1billion, has given the Tories £873,000, according to the Electoral Commission's database.

Its records show 12 of the 21 fund high flyers in this year's Sunday Times listing have over time given £15.6million between them in cash or donations to the Tory party or, in some cases, individual Conservative MPs.

(Image: Getty)

Britain’s 21 richest fund managers combined are worth a staggering £16billion, according to the latest research.

Robert Watts, the compiler of list, said: “The recent volatility of global stock markets have provided opportunities for the City’s richest hedgies to gild their wealth.

“But life as a billionaire hedge fund manager is not a one-way bet. Four big names of the hedge fund world have seen big falls in their wealth over the past year.

“Managers tend to invest heavily in their funds, so if their fund bombs so does their own wealth.”

Jon Trickett MP, Labour's Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “This is more evidence that the Tories are run by a rich elite and for a rich elite.

"We must ask, what are the 14 of the 20 richest hedge fund managers getting from their links to the Tories?

“Vested interests should not crowd out the voices of millions. We must reset the balance of power in our political system.

“The next Labour government will stop big money buying influence, hand power back to communities and govern in the interests of the many, not the few.”