Labour Tomorrow was launched last month by Lord Blunkett, the home secretary under Tony Blair

A group of leading Blairite figures has raised a war chest of more than £250,000 to battle against Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader.

Labour Tomorrow was launched last month by Lord Blunkett, the home secretary under Tony Blair, and Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, a former trade union general secretary, to boost “mainstream Labour causes” and reenergise the centre of the party.

Nicola Murphy, a former New Labour special adviser and the wife of Chris Leslie MP, a critic of Mr Corbyn, incorporated the group.

Electoral Commission records revealed yesterday that Martin Taylor, the hedge fund manager who gave Labour £600,000 under Ed Miliband, contributed £180,000 to the £255,400 raised so far. Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, a former Liberal Democrat who has donated to Labour