THE TORIES were accused of trying to “buy” the general election last night after funding figures revealed the party has taken huge sums from hedge funds.

Hedge funds gifted the party more than £125,000 in the first week of the general election campaign, according to Electoral Commission records.

The handout from the Conservatives’ big City backers means the party of the rich has raised £15 million more than Labour since the last election.

The rush to outspend their rivals comes after the government raised general election spending limits by more than £6m to £32.m.

Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth said it showed “the Tories want to buy the election.

“Having pushed through increased spending limits against official advice they are relying on their hedge-fund donors to fund their campaign,” he said.

“The Tories stand up for the privileged few who back their campaign, defending tax avoidance, bankers’ bonuses and tax cuts for millionaires.”

The Tories banked the huge sums from its financial sector backers between Monday March 30 and Sunday April 5.

The latest spate of donations takes the total amount raked in by Mr Cameron’s party from hedge funds to a staggering £55.2m since records began.

In 2014 alone, the controversial cash pools were handing the Tories over £24,400 every day — more than £1,000 per hour.

Super-wealthy individuals have also contributed £45,779,781 to the Tory war chest since the last general election.

And within the first six days of this campaign, tycoons courted by Mr Cameron at private dinners had donated a further £185,000.

Fourteen rich individuals — just one of them a woman — made donations of more than £10,000 each.

Businessman Richard Harpin, whose Homeserve insurance firm was fined more than £30m in February 2014 as part of a mis-selling scandal, handed over £50,000.

The largest single individual donation of £75,000 came from a Michael Tory.

But Labour leader Ed Miliband vowed earlier this year to win the general election “house by house, street by street, town by town.”

And Mr Ashworth added: “The Tories may have a small pool of big City backers, but Labour has the will of thousands who want to see a change from five more years of David Cameron.”

Labour’s election campaign deputy insisted Labour is winning the ground war, with activists speaking to thousands of voters across Britain every day.

The party also revealed it raised more than half a million in March from small donations from 19,226 people and £407,109 from 16,629 people in the first two weeks of April.

The trade unions have also given Labour a fighting chance.

In the first week of the campaign, Unite gave £1,005,000, Unison £506,240, and the Communication Workers Union £51,072.

It means Labour received £1,887,312 in donations compared with £501,850 given to the Tories.

Some of the Tory cash flood has gone Ukip’s way this year however. The party received £35,416 in donations — all of it from former Tory funders.

It also received a £1m handout from porn magnate and newspaper owner Richard Desmond last night.