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Private health care firms with Tory links have been awarded NHS contracts worth nearly £1.5billion.

Circle Health landed £1.36billion worth of health service work after several ­of its investors gifted about £1.5million to the Conservatives.

And Care UK has contracts worth another £102.6million. Its chairman John Nash was made a peer after boosting Tory coffers by £247,250.

Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, who ­uncovered the figures, fumed: “Nobody gave David Cameron ­permission to sell the NHS to his friends.

“It’s shocking the same Tory donors who ­bankrolled the development of their NHS reorganisation policy are now ­profiting from the sell-off of NHS services.”

Labour’s research shows Circle Health’s parent company, Circle Holdings PLC, is owned by a series of hedge funds.

Lansdowne Partners, with a 29.2% stake, was founded by Sir Paul Ruddock, who donated £692,592 to the Tories.

David Craigen, who gave the party £59,000, is also involved in Lansdowne.

Invesco Perpetual owns 28.7% of Circle Holdings. It was set up by Sir Martyn Arbib, who donated £466,330.

Robin Crispin Odey is founder of Odey Asset Management, which owns 14.8%. Mr Odey donated £220,000.

And Michael Platt, founder of BlueCrest Capital, with its 5% stake in Circle Holdings, has gifted the party £125,000.

Among Circle’s contracts is a £1billion deal to run Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Cambs.

Since the Tories’ hated health reforms became law, its profits have gone up from £64.6million in 2010-11 to £170.4million in 2011-12.

But a spokesman said: “Circle has never made any donations to a political party. The vast majority of Circle’s NHS contracts actually started under the last Labour government.”

And a Tory spokesman added: “The decision to contract out ­Hinchingbrooke was taken by Andy Burnham.”

Care UK has been handed a string of NHS deals including prison health care contracts worth £62million.

Its healthcare revenue soared by 63.2% from £189.7million a year in 2012 to £309.5million in 2013.

Chairman Lord Nash and his wife gave £247,250 to the Tories, including £21,000 to former Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley as he drew up the Tory health reforms.