Jeremy Hunt donates £100,000 of his own money to local Conservative party to boost re-election chances

Sign up to the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxReceive our free View from Westminster emailPlease enter an email address valid emailPlease enter a valid email addressI would like to receive an email about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later.{{ /verifyErrors }}

Jeremy Hunt has donated more than £100,000 of his own money to his constituency's Conservative party in a bid to boost his chances of being re-elected.

Elections Commission records show the chancellor gave £105,261 to his local constituency party in Surrey over the past five years amid fears he would have to fight to keep his seat.

p>

It comes as a new Survation poll revealed. Mr Hunt could become the first chancellor in modern times to lose his seat in a general election, with his constituency of Godalming and Ash set to be taken by the Liberal Democrats.

His donations Staff at the South West Surrey Conservative Association is more than twenty times what it gave under the leadership of Theresa May and David Cameron, when it gave less than £4,500.

The most recent accounts for Mr Hunt's local charity warn that his "balance sheet is at a less than satisfactory level", with donations to the charity having fallen by almost 50% in 2021 .

figure class="sc-482ou5-2 cnlAIL image align-none">

M. Hunt is set to lose his seat in Godalming and Ash

(Getty/PA)

A Labor Party source told the Guardian: "That tells you all you need to know about the state of the Conservative Party, with the Chancellor apparently spending more time handing out personal checks to prolong his political career than fixing the economy his government has destroyed." p>

Mr. Hunt has said he intends to remain chancellor at the election and beyond.

Currently, 58 Conservative MPs have announced their intention to stand down at the next election.< /p >

Many party members are worried about their prospects in the next election, according to an Ipsos poll.