Tories in crisis as furious party members refuse to fund Sunak’s bid stay in power

The Conservatives launched a desperate bid for funding on Saturday after complaining of a slump in online donations in recent days.

A begging letter sent to supporters warns the party will have to curtail its election campaign without an injection of cash.

The plea comes amid grassroots fury at claims the prime minister’s allies are parachuting advisers and backers into winnable seats.

An email sent to members on behalf of senior Tory Alan Mabbutt claimed “tough” decisions would have to be made within 48 hours if the party’s finances did not improve.

These could include scrapping some online ads and deciding “which constituencies we can help. And which ones we can't”.

The mailshot included a graph showing how donations had taken a hit in recent days.

The email comes just days after a leaked memo warned of the difficulty of raising funds in some of the party’s seats.

The Conservatives have raised millions in donations in recent months.

But new rules on limits mean that each party can spend up to £35 million at this election, an 80 per cent increase and the highest number in British political history.

Rishi Sunak’s allies have been accused of “operating a chumocracy” in securing winnable seats in the general election for people close to the inner circle around the prime minister.

Since the election was called last week, the party has had to fill around 191 seats.

Emergency rules mean constituency associations can be asked to pick from a shortlist of three or just have a candidate imposed.

The Independent understands that Great Yarmouth’s association “had a stand off” with Tory bosses at CCHQ over the shortlist sent to them.

There have also been reports a Tory councillor in Bognor Regis publicly complained the choice of candidates did not reflect members’ wishes.

There have also been complaints that those who have been dubbed “real ideological Conservatives”, such as the former Brexit minister Lord Frost, have been left unable to apply for seats.

Former Tory MEP David Campbell Bannerman has accused party bosses of “operating a chumocracy.”

David Goss, the prime minister’s deputy political secretary, became the latest high profile figure from Downing Street to be selected for a winnable seat in Wellingborough and Rushden, which the party recently lost to Labour in a by-election.

He followed former army officer James Clark, a special adviser to Mr Shapps, who has been selected for Great Yarmouth.

To add to the Tories’ woes the first mega-poll of the campaign suggests the party is heading for electoral disaster and could win just 66 seats in parliament.

The result would be a Labour landslide, with Sir Keir Starmer’s party securing 476 MPs – a majority of 302 – once tactical voting has been taken into account.

Among the big names who could lose their seats are the deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden, home secretary James Cleverly and defence secretary Grant Shapps.

However, Rishi Sunak is expected to hold on in Richmond, North Yorkshire, although with a massively reduced majority