TIME FOR TORIES TO "COME CLEAN" ON ASHCROFT MONEY IN CORNWALL

12.51.34pm GMT Mon 1st Mar 2010

Conservative Party Deputy Chairman, Peer and major donor to the Conservative Party, Lord Ashcroft - who is a "non dom".

Steve Gilbert, the Liberal Democrat candidate for St Austell & Newquay, has today called on Cornwall's Conservatives to "come clean" on the amount of money they are spending in Cornwall that has been donated by Conservative Peer Lord Ashcroft.

Lord Ashcroft is the multimillionaire deputy chairman of the Conservative Party who has today confirmed, for the first time, that he is a "non-dom" and does not pay tax on his earnings abroad in the UK.

Steve Gilbert said: "It's a bit rich for David Cameron to talk yesterday about his 'patriotic duty' when today we find that the millionaire peer who is bankrolling the Tory election campaign isn't even fulfilling his civic duty to pay tax in this country."

"It's time Cornwall Conservatives came clean and told us how much of Lord Ashcroft's money they are using to try and buy the election results here in Cornwall."

The Lib Dem candidate has written to Cornwall Conservatives asking them to set the record straight on what funding Lord Ashcroft has put into their campaign in Cornwall.

For ten-years pressure has mounted on the Conservative's to reveal the tax-status of Lord Ashcroft. As well as being a Tory Lord and deputy chairman of the party, Ashcroft has part-funded and masterminded a £5m campaign in marginal seats.