FOCUS: Mark Littlewood

THE man at the centre of the allegation is controversial Liberal Democrat spin doctor and activist Mark Littlewood, who has written 'The Cameron Effect' report.

He argues passionately that his party could lose three in five of its English seats without the tax cuts package endorsed at yesterday's opening day of conference in Bournemouth.

Adrian Sanders's Torbay seat is one of the MPs his report singles out for doom.

Mr Littlewood is now communications director of liberal think tank Progressive Vision.

He was formerly head of media for the Liberal Democrats, but resigned last year in a storm over voting reform when he sparked fury among senior MPs by saying that electoral reform was not "a deal maker or a deal breaker" for any possible future coalition deal.

Mr Littlewood currently writes a blog for the Daily Telegraph.