By . Sam Greenhill, Daniel Martin and Luke Salkeld . PUBLISHED: . 16:57 EST, 13 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:26 EST, 14 August 2013 . Public-spirited: Former nurse Joan Edwards left her fortune to the Government to spend 'as they may think fit' The Tories and Lib Dems stood accused of ‘robbery’ yesterday after pocketing a £520,000 bequest to the nation left in an elderly spinster’s will. When she died aged 90, former nurse Joan Edwards left her fortune to the Government to spend ‘as they may think fit’. But instead of using the money on the Health Service, schools or to ease the national debt, the Coalition shared it between them as a party donation. Party spin doctors were accused of misleading journalists by insisting Miss Edwards had bequeathed the money to ‘whichever party’ was in power when she died. But their claim unravelled spectacularly when the Daily Mail tracked down a copy of the will – which made no mention of any party. Last night the Tories and Lib Dems faced demands to repay the cash. They were also struggling to explain how a gift intended for the public good from an ‘intelligent’, church-going woman with ‘little interest in politics’ had ended up in their coffers in the first place. It is not uncommon for people to leave a bequest to the nation. In 2010-11, members of the public gave more than £1million to the  Government specifically as a gift to the nation, almost all of it left in wills. Executors of the estates write a cheque made out to ‘HM Treasury’ and it goes into the country’s coffers. By contrast, bequests to political parties usually involve a specific clause in a will. Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, added: ‘I am surprised they were so desperate that they took the money in the first place. ‘I am surprised that a political party would want to take this money in circumstances when there is any doubt of the deceased person’s intention. ‘If they are in any doubt, they should take legal advice and consider giving the money back to the estate.’ Generous: Miss Edwards left her entire £520,000 estate to the Government . Home: Miss Edwards had lived in the same three-bedroom semi-detached council house (pictured) since 1931, when she moved in with her parents . Unions continue to account for the bulk of big donations to the Labour party. The . Unite union, which went to war with Ed Miliband over plans to curb . union influence, gave £722,195 from April to June this year. New . figures reveal that even the Lib Dems have raised more from individual . non-union donors than the Labour party since the election. Unions have tightened their grip on Labour and are now responsible for three-quarters of all big donations to party coffers. The . Unite union, which went to war with Ed Miliband over plans to curb . union influence, gave £722,195 from April to June this year. New . figures reveal that even the Lib Dems have raised more from individual . non-union donors than the Labour party since the election. Tory party chairman Grant Shapps said: . ‘Despite Ed Miliband’s promise of change, these independent figures . prove his Labour Party is still dominated by the trade unions. ‘They choose the candidates, pick the leader and remain Labour’s biggest donors - providing three quarters of the party's money.' John Lister, from the pressure group Health Emergency which campaigns against NHS cuts, said: ‘How far different is what they have done to stealing off an old lady? ‘We have a massive crisis in emergency services, thousands of NHS jobs are being squeezed out – and they decide to spend it on their party rather than services for the public.’ The donation came to light when the Electoral Commission issued a quarterly update yesterday on the funding of the political parties. It revealed that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had shared a £520,000 donation from a ‘Joan L B Edwards’, who died last year. The fact that the Tories and Lib Dems share power caused some confusion, but the sum was eventually divided between them based on the number of ministers and MPs, with the Conservatives taking a £420,000 slice of the pie. Yesterday morning spin doctors from both parties insisted Miss Edwards had wanted them to have her money. A Tory source briefed: ‘This money was donated out of the blue. It was a bequest to the party of the government of the day.’ But what Miss Edwards had actually stipulated in her will was that all the proceeds of her estate were to be paid to ‘whichever Government is in office at the date of my death for the Government in their absolute discretion to use as they may think fit’. Somewhere along the line, somebody . decided what she meant by this was for her hard-earned cash to fund the . Conservatives’ and Lib Dems’ campaigns to win the next election. Friends . of Miss Edwards – a churchgoer whose career as a nurse included spells . as a midwife and a school ‘nit nurse’ – suggested this was the last . thing she would have wanted. Next-door neighbour Lucy Sanders . said: ‘I would think she would have wanted the Government to do . something good with her money, something to do with looking after . children like she did. ‘She never talked about politics. She wouldn’t dream of saying who she voted for. She was old-fashioned that way.’ Miss . Sanders, 47, added: ‘She delivered hundreds of babies in her career. She was the best neighbour you could ever wish for. She was a very . private woman, and very polite.’ Born in Bristol in 1921, Miss Edwards never married and died there on September 22 last year, after a fall. 'We have a massive crisis in emergency . services, thousands of NHS jobs are being squeezed out - and they decide . to spend it on their party rather than services for the public' - John Lister, from Health Emergency . She had lived in the same three-bedroom semi-detached council house since 1931, when she moved in with her parents. She was described by neighbours as . frugal, with little interest in fashion or luxuries, and ‘highly . intelligent’. She refused to have central heating installed, but . eventually relented over double glazing. Another . friend, Joan Seville, said she thought Miss Edwards had been a . Conservative, and had made her money buying and selling shares. When she wrote her will in 2001, Labour were in power, having just won their second term in a landslide victory. Mrs Seville added: ‘She was a “Victorian” lady. Very old-fashioned and very polite.’ The . public-spirited Miss Edwards is even understood to have refused the . offer to buy her £160,000 council house when it was offered to her and . her elderly mother for just £2,000. 'Surprised': Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said he was 'surprised they were so desperate that they took the money in the first place' Labour MP Paul Flynn (left) said it did not look like Miss Edwards intended the money 'for party political purposes'. Meanwhile, UKIP leader Nigel Farage (right) said Miss Edwards would have made it 'clear' if she had wanted to fund a political party . Last night Labour MP Paul Flynn said: . ‘It certainly sounds that this was a generous gesture for the benefit . of nation, and doesn’t look like she intended it for party political . purposes. ‘To suggest it should go to the party coffers of parties in power seems a perverse judgment.’ UKIP . leader Nigel Farage said: ‘If she had wanted to fund a political party . itself, she would have made that clear and probably backed a particular . one. ‘At least, for . the first time, the Coalition agreed on something – shame it took half a . million quid to bait them into consensus.’ 'I would think she would have wanted the Government to do . something good with her money, something to do with looking after . children like she did' - Next-door neighbour Lucy Sanders . Last night the blame game was in full swing. Tory and Lib Dem sources claimed the executors of Miss Edwards’ will, two West Country solicitors, initially contacted the Government’s Treasury Solicitors department to ask where to send the cash, and that both the Treasury Solicitors and the office of Attorney General Dominic Grieve – a Conservative MP – then ruled it was a ‘party political donation’. This was flatly contradicted by the Attorney General’s Office, which said: ‘The executors of Miss Edwards’s estate contacted the AGO about her bequest but the Attorney provided no advice. ‘The Treasury Solicitors replied on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office setting out further steps the executors may wish to take to identify the correct recipient of the bequest. ‘It did not, nor could have, advised to whom the bequest should go.’ A Tory party spokesman said: ‘The solicitors for the deceased, acting as the executors, informed the Conservative Party that it was a beneficiary of the will.’ A Lib Dem spokesman said: ‘The Liberal Democrats were notified that the party was a beneficiary of Miss Edwards’s will.’ Backer: James Palumbo, founder of the Ministry of Sound, gave £65,000 to the Lib Dems in the weeks before being made a peer . David Cameron's party received a total of £4,116,006, including major donations from businessmen. The . largest gifts to the Conservatives were £280,770 from co-treasurer and . hedge fund boss Michael Farmer and £263,600 from investment banker James . Lupton. Labour said the . Tories received £1,042,970.93 in the last quarter from donors who . attended private dinners with Mr Cameron and other senior ministers. It . included £694,370 from donors in the financial sector. Sadiq . Khan MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, said: 'The Tories have . raked in over £1 million from private dinners with David Cameron and . senior Ministers in the last quarter. 'And more than two thirds of that comes from the City – the bankers and hedge fund bosses whose taxes David Cameron cut. 'Hardworking . families are seeing their living standards squeezed, with prices rising . faster than wages. Meanwhile David Cameron shows how out of touch he . is, standing up for the millionaires who fund his party.' Meanwhile, . the new figures show the Ministry of Sound gave £65,000 to the Lib . Dems, just weeks before the nightclub's boss James Palumbo received a . peerage from Nick Clegg. The . superclub firm made a donation of £50,000 to the central party on June . 6, and on June 30 a further £15,000 was given to the Bermondsey and Old . Southwark local association of Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes.
Joan Edwards left money to the Government to spend 'as they may think fit'
The Coalition has shared the money between them as a party donation .
Her friends have suggested this was the last thing she would have wanted .
Neighbours have described the former nurse as 'frugal' and highly intelligent .
Spin doctors said she left the money to 'whichever party' was in power .
By . Sam Greenhill, Daniel Martin and Luke Salkeld . PUBLISHED: . 16:57 EST, 13 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:26 EST, 14 August 2013 . Public-spirited: Former nurse Joan Edwards left her fortune to the Government to spend 'as they may think fit' The Tories and Lib Dems stood accused of ‘robbery’ yesterday after pocketing a £520,000 bequest to the nation left in an elderly spinster’s will. When she died aged 90, former nurse Joan Edwards left her fortune to the Government to spend ‘as they may think fit’. But instead of using the money on the Health Service, schools or to ease the national debt, the Coalition shared it between them as a party donation. Party spin doctors were accused of misleading journalists by insisting Miss Edwards had bequeathed the money to ‘whichever party’ was in power when she died. But their claim unravelled spectacularly when the Daily Mail tracked down a copy of the will – which made no mention of any party. Last night the Tories and Lib Dems faced demands to repay the cash. They were also struggling to explain how a gift intended for the public good from an ‘intelligent’, church-going woman with ‘little interest in politics’ had ended up in their coffers in the first place. It is not uncommon for people to leave a bequest to the nation. In 2010-11, members of the public gave more than £1million to the  Government specifically as a gift to the nation, almost all of it left in wills. Executors of the estates write a cheque made out to ‘HM Treasury’ and it goes into the country’s coffers. By contrast, bequests to political parties usually involve a specific clause in a will. Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, added: ‘I am surprised they were so desperate that they took the money in the first place. ‘I am surprised that a political party would want to take this money in circumstances when there is any doubt of the deceased person’s intention. ‘If they are in any doubt, they should take legal advice and consider giving the money back to the estate.’ Generous: Miss Edwards left her entire £520,000 estate to the Government . Home: Miss Edwards had lived in the same three-bedroom semi-detached council house (pictured) since 1931, when she moved in with her parents . Unions continue to account for the bulk of big donations to the Labour party. The . Unite union, which went to war with Ed Miliband over plans to curb . union influence, gave £722,195 from April to June this year. New . figures reveal that even the Lib Dems have raised more from individual . non-union donors than the Labour party since the election. Unions have tightened their grip on Labour and are now responsible for three-quarters of all big donations to party coffers. The . Unite union, which went to war with Ed Miliband over plans to curb . union influence, gave £722,195 from April to June this year. New . figures reveal that even the Lib Dems have raised more from individual . non-union donors than the Labour party since the election. Tory party chairman Grant Shapps said: . ‘Despite Ed Miliband’s promise of change, these independent figures . prove his Labour Party is still dominated by the trade unions. ‘They choose the candidates, pick the leader and remain Labour’s biggest donors - providing three quarters of the party's money.' John Lister, from the pressure group Health Emergency which campaigns against NHS cuts, said: ‘How far different is what they have done to stealing off an old lady? ‘We have a massive crisis in emergency services, thousands of NHS jobs are being squeezed out – and they decide to spend it on their party rather than services for the public.’ The donation came to light when the Electoral Commission issued a quarterly update yesterday on the funding of the political parties. It revealed that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had shared a £520,000 donation from a ‘Joan L B Edwards’, who died last year. The fact that the Tories and Lib Dems share power caused some confusion, but the sum was eventually divided between them based on the number of ministers and MPs, with the Conservatives taking a £420,000 slice of the pie. Yesterday morning spin doctors from both parties insisted Miss Edwards had wanted them to have her money. A Tory source briefed: ‘This money was donated out of the blue. It was a bequest to the party of the government of the day.’ But what Miss Edwards had actually stipulated in her will was that all the proceeds of her estate were to be paid to ‘whichever Government is in office at the date of my death for the Government in their absolute discretion to use as they may think fit’. Somewhere along the line, somebody . decided what she meant by this was for her hard-earned cash to fund the . Conservatives’ and Lib Dems’ campaigns to win the next election. Friends . of Miss Edwards – a churchgoer whose career as a nurse included spells . as a midwife and a school ‘nit nurse’ – suggested this was the last . thing she would have wanted. Next-door neighbour Lucy Sanders . said: ‘I would think she would have wanted the Government to do . something good with her money, something to do with looking after . children like she did. ‘She never talked about politics. She wouldn’t dream of saying who she voted for. She was old-fashioned that way.’ Miss . Sanders, 47, added: ‘She delivered hundreds of babies in her career. She was the best neighbour you could ever wish for. She was a very . private woman, and very polite.’ Born in Bristol in 1921, Miss Edwards never married and died there on September 22 last year, after a fall. 'We have a massive crisis in emergency . services, thousands of NHS jobs are being squeezed out - and they decide . to spend it on their party rather than services for the public' - John Lister, from Health Emergency . She had lived in the same three-bedroom semi-detached council house since 1931, when she moved in with her parents. She was described by neighbours as . frugal, with little interest in fashion or luxuries, and ‘highly . intelligent’. She refused to have central heating installed, but . eventually relented over double glazing. Another . friend, Joan Seville, said she thought Miss Edwards had been a . Conservative, and had made her money buying and selling shares. When she wrote her will in 2001, Labour were in power, having just won their second term in a landslide victory. Mrs Seville added: ‘She was a “Victorian” lady. Very old-fashioned and very polite.’ The . public-spirited Miss Edwards is even understood to have refused the . offer to buy her £160,000 council house when it was offered to her and . her elderly mother for just £2,000. 'Surprised': Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said he was 'surprised they were so desperate that they took the money in the first place' Labour MP Paul Flynn (left) said it did not look like Miss Edwards intended the money 'for party political purposes'. Meanwhile, UKIP leader Nigel Farage (right) said Miss Edwards would have made it 'clear' if she had wanted to fund a political party . Last night Labour MP Paul Flynn said: . ‘It certainly sounds that this was a generous gesture for the benefit . of nation, and doesn’t look like she intended it for party political . purposes. ‘To suggest it should go to the party coffers of parties in power seems a perverse judgment.’ UKIP . leader Nigel Farage said: ‘If she had wanted to fund a political party . itself, she would have made that clear and probably backed a particular . one. ‘At least, for . the first time, the Coalition agreed on something – shame it took half a . million quid to bait them into consensus.’ 'I would think she would have wanted the Government to do . something good with her money, something to do with looking after . children like she did' - Next-door neighbour Lucy Sanders . Last night the blame game was in full swing. Tory and Lib Dem sources claimed the executors of Miss Edwards’ will, two West Country solicitors, initially contacted the Government’s Treasury Solicitors department to ask where to send the cash, and that both the Treasury Solicitors and the office of Attorney General Dominic Grieve – a Conservative MP – then ruled it was a ‘party political donation’. This was flatly contradicted by the Attorney General’s Office, which said: ‘The executors of Miss Edwards’s estate contacted the AGO about her bequest but the Attorney provided no advice. ‘The Treasury Solicitors replied on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office setting out further steps the executors may wish to take to identify the correct recipient of the bequest. ‘It did not, nor could have, advised to whom the bequest should go.’ A Tory party spokesman said: ‘The solicitors for the deceased, acting as the executors, informed the Conservative Party that it was a beneficiary of the will.’ A Lib Dem spokesman said: ‘The Liberal Democrats were notified that the party was a beneficiary of Miss Edwards’s will.’ Backer: James Palumbo, founder of the Ministry of Sound, gave £65,000 to the Lib Dems in the weeks before being made a peer . David Cameron's party received a total of £4,116,006, including major donations from businessmen. The . largest gifts to the Conservatives were £280,770 from co-treasurer and . hedge fund boss Michael Farmer and £263,600 from investment banker James . Lupton. Labour said the . Tories received £1,042,970.93 in the last quarter from donors who . attended private dinners with Mr Cameron and other senior ministers. It . included £694,370 from donors in the financial sector. Sadiq . Khan MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, said: 'The Tories have . raked in over £1 million from private dinners with David Cameron and . senior Ministers in the last quarter. 'And more than two thirds of that comes from the City – the bankers and hedge fund bosses whose taxes David Cameron cut. 'Hardworking . families are seeing their living standards squeezed, with prices rising . faster than wages. Meanwhile David Cameron shows how out of touch he . is, standing up for the millionaires who fund his party.' Meanwhile, . the new figures show the Ministry of Sound gave £65,000 to the Lib . Dems, just weeks before the nightclub's boss James Palumbo received a . peerage from Nick Clegg. The . superclub firm made a donation of £50,000 to the central party on June . 6, and on June 30 a further £15,000 was given to the Bermondsey and Old . Southwark local association of Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes.
nurse Joan Edwards left her fortune to the Government to spend ‘as they may think fit’. But Coalition shared it between them as a party had bequeathed the money to ‘whichever party’ was nurse’ – suggested this was the last . thing she she would have wanted the Government to do .