Jeremy Hunt has donated a further £32,000 of his own money to his constituency party as he tries to avoid becoming the first sitting chancellor in modern British history to lose his seat.
Figures from the Electoral Commission show that in the first quarter of this year, Mr Hunt made three donations to the Conservatives Godalming and Ash.
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The Chancellor donated £7,794 in two separate donations on 2 January and then a further £24,451.30 on 8 February.
The February 8 donation is the largest single donation he has made to the local association, which has received £166,457 in total from him since 2014.
The vast majority of this was cash donations, official records show, although £8,918 was non-cash.
Under electoral rules, MPs and candidates can donate to their local constituency’s accounting unit if they wish.
The Liberal Democrats said Hunt is “throwing the kitchen sink to keep his seat”, amid warnings he could be ousted on polling day on July 4.
The Surrey electorate has been a key target for Sir Ed Davey’s party, which aims to demolish the Conservative “Blue Wall” in southern England.
A Liberal Democrat source told Sky News. “The Liberal Democrats are riding high in Godalming and Ash and this marginal seat is tied.
“There’s no doubt that Jeremy Hunt needs all the help he can get – that’s why he’s throwing the kitchen sink to stay seated.”
Hunt accumulated a vast personal fortune in his pre-political career as a businessman.
Previously, he defended the large donations arguing that “it is a free country” and that this demonstrated his “commitment” to the area he has represented since 2005.
Speaking about the matter in March, he told Sky News: “I put this money in mainly because during the pandemic it was not possible to raise funds in the normal way.
“I have a brilliant team in my constituency and we run fantastic local campaigns and I wanted that to continue even though we were unable to raise funds.”
However, he admitted he has a “tough fight” against the Lib Dems and added “I’ve never taken it for granted.”
Hunt argues for an imaginary majority of just over 10,000 in Godalming and Ash, which was previously South West Surrey before the border changes.
Research suggests that he is one of the several big conservative beasts at risk of losing their seat in an election that could fundamentally reshape the British political landscape.
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With Labor expected to win a majority of up to 200 votes, Hunt – along with cabinet colleagues such as Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt – could all face the electoral chopping block – or a “Portillo Moment” as it is sometimes called .
This is a reference to Michael Portillo, the Conservative minister who was famously ousted when Tony Blair came to power in 1997.
It is relatively rare for ministers to lose their seats and if this were to happen to Mr Hunt it would be particularly embarrassing as it would make him the first sitting chancellor in modern British history to be ousted at a general election.
He made relatively few national media appearances during the election campaign compared to other senior Conservativestelling broadcasters last week that he has been “knocking on doors for six hours every day” and “meeting a lot of people, making arguments.”
He said: “I’m fighting for every vote. I think I can win the seat. But I don’t take anything for granted.”
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The full list of candidates in Godalming and Ash is:
• Graham Drage, Reform UK
• Paul Follows, Liberal Democrat
• Jeremy Hunt, Conservative and Unionist Party
• Ruby Tucker, Green Party
• James Walsh, Labor Party
• Harriet Williams, Women’s Equality Party.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
