Tony Blair is facing humiliation over his decision to donate £106,000 to Labour’s target seats after three candidates rejected his money.

The former prime minister donated £1,000 each to 106 local Labour campaigns last week but his contributions have already been snubbed by Sophie Gardner, the party’s candidate for Conservative-held Gloucester, Sally Keeble, who is fighting the Tory marginal in Northampton North, and Lesley Brennan, who announced she was rejecting the donation at the weekend.

However there is confusion over whether individuals and constituency parties have the power to turn down these donations, with Labour party figures suggesting it was not in their remit to do so. The money was given to Labour’s central office so it cannot be handed back by individual constituency parties, it was claimed.

Figures in the Scottish Labour leadership were said to be “furious” over Ms Brennan’s decision to announce on Twitter that she was rejecting the £1,000 donation to her campaign to win Dundee East off the SNP and also invoked anger with members in her local party who claimed they were not consulted.

Tony Blair: A career of controversies Show all 11 1 /11 Tony Blair: A career of controversies Tony Blair: A career of controversies The Tony Blair 'selfie'.. A journalist takes a picture of Kennard Phillips 'Photo Op', depicting Prime Minister Tony Blair taking a 'selfie' in front of an explosion in Iraq, during a press viewing of the exhibition Catalyst: Contemporary Art and War Tony Blair: A career of controversies Protesters pictured outside the QEII Conference centre in London in 2011 as former British PM Tony Blair give his evidence in the Chilcot Iraq Inquiry Tony Blair: A career of controversies David Lawley-Wakelin, who disrupted Tony Blair’s testimony at the Leveson Inquiry by bursting into the court Tony Blair: A career of controversies Blair giving evidence Tony Blair: A career of controversies Tony Blair visiting troops in Iraq in 2007 Tony Blair: A career of controversies Blair meeting with troops in Basra, Iraq in 2003 Tony Blair: A career of controversies Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair speaks to British soldiers at Divisional Headquaters in Basra, May 2007 Tony Blair: A career of controversies British Prime Minister Tony Blair eats dinner with British troops in Basra, Iraq, 21 December, 2004 Tony Blair: A career of controversies Syrian president Bashar El Assad during his official visit to the United Kingdom in 2002. Mr Blair tried to engage Mr Garcia in a conversation about Syria. The former Prime Minister made clear he was very much in favour of military intervention last summer. Tony Blair: A career of controversies Syrian president Bashar El Assad and wife Asma during their official visit to the United Kingdom in 2002. Mr Blair tried to engage Mr Garcia in a conversation about Syria Tony Blair: A career of controversies Former Prime Minister Tony Blair's signature adorns a program he signed for an Iraq veteran during a reception at the Guildhall in London following the service of commemoration at St Paul's Cathedral honouring UK military and civilian personnel who served in Iraq

On Sunday she told her 2,000 Twitter followers she had turned down the gift.

Alistair Campbell, Mr Blair’s former director of communications at Number 10, reacted angrily, questioning her ambition.

Ms Gardner, a former RAF wing commander, said it would be “hypocritical” for her to accept Mr Blair’s donation because of her decision to criticise the Iraq war.

The former prime minister’s donations in Scotland could have limited impact as Ivan McKee, a Scottish businessman and former Labour party member who quit under Mr Blair’s leadership, matched his contributions by giving £1,000 to five SNP candidates.

“The SNP relies for its funding on individual members and supporters donating what they can,” he said.