A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE has donated a total of £20,000 to two Tories in line to contest key Hampshire marginal seats at the General Election.

Former Conservative party treasurer Lord Ashcroft has written cheques to candidates battling to overturn Liberal Democrat majorities in Romsey and Eastleigh.

Caroline Nokes, 32, described as one of the party's brightest young candidates, was selected by members of the Romsey Conservative Association.

Lord Ashcroft placed £13,000 in her fighting fund as she bids to claw back Liberal Democrat MP Sandra Gidley's 2,370 majority.

He also paid £7,010 to Eastleigh Conservative Association, which selected businessman Conor Burns as its prospective

Parliamentary candidate.

He is trying to win the seat currently held by Lib Dem backbencher David Chidgey with a 3,058 majority.

Lord Ashcroft hopes the donation will bolster the Tory campaigns in key marginal seats in the run-up to the election, widely expected on May 5.

The Belize-based businessman is said to have chosen and interviewed the candidates he liked.

He has splashed out £229,593 in 23 of the top 100 Tory target seats. None of the money went to party headquarters.

The money was paid by Bearwood Corporate Services, a subsidiary of Bearwood Holdings, which the peer controls.

Mrs Nokes said that she had received a number of payments in the past seven months from the business tycoon, who recently fell out with Tory leader Michael Howard over election tactics.

Speaking at her home in West Wellow, she said: "This is something I have been perfectly open about. Lord Ashcroft has given some funding to the Romsey Conservative Association, largely because he wants to see the maximum number of Conservative MPs elected.

"He is just one of many donors. We have had a significant number of local companies and individuals who have donated four and five-figure sums. They are all properly registered."

Romsey association chairman John Lewis confirmed £13,000 had been received in the past six or seven months.

Mr Lewis said: "We have been pledged further funding which we have not drawn upon, not just from Lord Ashcroft. Although it is a significant amount, his funding is just a percentage of what we receive."

Mrs Nokes was one of ten prospective women MPs selected for a makeover by Glamour magazine and described as "hottest candidates".

Romsey MP Sandra Gidley said the cash donation revealed a lack of confidence.

"The amount of money the Tories are throwing at the Romsey seat shows that they are by no means confident about getting the seat back. Elections are not all about money and I believe that my track record of helping my constituents will stand me in very good stead."

Mr Burns told the Daily Echo: "Lord Ashcroft has given us a modest amount of money to help us campaign, but the bulk of money has come from ordinary people in Eastleigh, who want to see a Conservative MP."

He said that the Tories had already made a complaint and threatened to take legal action over statements made on the Eastleigh Liberal Democrats' website over the issue.

Mr Burns recently broke with convention to spend £800 on a roadside billboard near Eastleigh's shopping centre in what he claimed was a political first.

The huge poster features a picture of Mr Burns and his three-year-old god-daughter Phoebe Hall, and bears the slogan: "Most politicians just talk. This one listens. Conor Burns. A new kind of Conservative. Being Local Matters."

Chris Huhne, fighting for the Eastleigh seat for the Lib Dems, said: "These are large amounts of money and they raise the question of whether MPs elected with such support will be independent."

Romsey's prospective Labour Parliamentary candidate Matt Stevens said: "It's no surprise. The Conservatives are throwing everything at the Romsey seat to regain what's traditionally seen as Conservative territory."

CANDIDATES standing for Parliament in the UK are strictly limited in what they can spend during their election campaigns.

They are required to register all expenses, including advertising, mail shots and transport.

Spending limits for candidates differ according to which type of constituency they are standing in.

On top of a base rate of £7,150, candidates are allowed 7p per elector in county constituencies and 5p per elector in borough constituencies.

Candidates contesting marginal seats are more likely to spend close to the legal maximum in a bid to squeeze every last drop of publicity out of their campaign. Constituency parties are allowed to spend more on campaigns.

All donations to a constituency party of more than £1,000 must be declared. Donations to the national party of £5,000 or more must be recorded.

The Conservatives have traditionally received most donations, thanks to their links with business, while Labour's main contributors were the trade unions.

One method suggested to end the inequality of funding of political parties is for them to be paid for by the taxpayer - although this is seen as a vote loser by all sides.