Watford’s MP was given over £30k in donations by trade unions, residents and a think tank during his general election campaign, government documents have shown.

While Matt Turmaine now receives a £91,346 annual salary as a member of parliament, his declarations on the Commons Register of Members’ Financial Interests also show he received a total of £32,500 during his run for office.

The majority of donations came from trade unions, as the Communication Workers Union (CWU), Unison, and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) gave him £2,500, £7,000 and £9,000 respectively.

Government documents show Mr Turmaine received £32,500 in donations during his general election campaign.Government documents show Mr Turmaine received £32,500 in donations during his general election campaign. (Image: Watford Labour)

The largest single amount was £10,000 which came from Labour Together, a London-based think tank that claims to offer “bold ideas” for the UK under a Labour government.

Mr Turmaine also received £4,000 in private donations from two individuals, as well as £3,286.23 on July 31 as a final payment for his previous role as a project manager at Hertfordshire County Council.

He has however waived his £8,071 councillor allowance as a representative for Holywell on Watford Borough Council.

Mr Turmaine said: “I am grateful for all contributions towards my successful election campaign received over a long period from legitimate sources, including ordinary men and women through their subs. 

Matt Turmaine said he was grateful for contributions to his general election campaign.Matt Turmaine said he was grateful for contributions to his general election campaign. (Image: Newsquest) “Much of this welcome funding will be helping me publicise my work as Watford’s MP over the coming years. That’s a good thing.”

While Mr Turmaine noted that his amount received was lower than the Liberal Democrat MP for St Albans Daisy Cooper, who received a total of £86,719, his total donations still came higher than other neighbouring members of parliament.

Conservative MPs for South West Hertfordshire and Hertsmere Gagan Mohindra and Oliver Dowden got £27,592 and £22,668 respectively, while Labour representative for Hemel Hempstead David Taylor received £22,097, according to the register of financial interests.