THE government was urged to “break the toxic grip” corporations have on our politics as firms received £60 billion in public contracts after donating millions to political parties.

In an open letter published on Monday, Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan demanded Housing, Community and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed ban recipients of government contracts from donating to parties.

“Decisions are shaped by cosy relationships with big money donors or the promise of a cushy job down the line,” he wrote.

“That has to stop. We need to draw a line and show that a Labour government does things differently. I’m calling to break the link between party donors and the governments they help elect.”

The Poole MP cited data published by the Autonomy Work Institute last year, which found that over the past 25 years parties received £47 million in donations from companies which later received £60bn in public-sector contracts.