Liz Truss received £425,000 in personal donations during her Tory leadership bid

Liz Truss was handed £425,000 in personal donations to boost her Conservative leadership bid, official documents have revealed.

Published just minutes before the new prime minister laid out her new plan to freeze energy bills to support British households facing the cost of living crisis, the MP’s register of interests showed Truss had been backed by 22 personal donations to the tune of £424,349.

Among the most notable backers was billionaire property developer Tony Gallagher – 140th on the Sunday Times Rich List and worth an estimated £1.25bn – who pledged £5,500.

Peer Lord Michael Spencer, who sits three places above Gallagher on the Times’ list at £1.262bn, offered up £25,000. Fitriani Hay – the wife of Scottish millionaire businessman Jim Hay – offered £100,000 to Truss’s bid.

One £10,000 donor was listed as Smoked Salmon and is believed to be former Brexit Party MEP Lance Forman.

Truss’ opponent Rishi Sunak received £458,570 in donations, including two £50,000 donations from rock star Chris Rea.

The register of interests also revealed former prime minister Boris Johnson received £23,853 in donations from Tory donors Anthony and Lady Carole Bamford to cover the hire of a marquee and portaloos as well as paying for flowers, waiting staff, an ice cream van and a smoke and braii food truck.