Ed Miliband relies on £2.2million of trade union funding

Ed Miliband faced new criticism today after figures revealed Labour is increasingly reliant on trade union funding.

Almost 88 per cent of donations to the party in the final three months of last year came from unions - up from 82 per cent in the previous quarter. It meant £2,231,742 of the £2,545,611 raised came from unions, with £39,286 in funds from private individuals.

By contrast, £2,013,027 out of the £3,263,034 raised by the Conservatives came from individuals, with a further £709,553 from companies. The Electoral Commission figures cover donations over £7,500.

Tory deputy chairman Michael Fallon said: "Ed Miliband was elected by the unions. Now Labour looks like a wholly owned subsidiary of them."

A Labour spokesman said: "It would be wrong to suggest unions are the sole source of our funding."

In the final quarter of 2009, 39 per cent of donations to Labour came from unions - though this was during a pre-election fund-raising drive.