Who are Cameron's backers? In addition to Trevor Pears, who gave £20,000, the following supported his leadership bid. Some have subsequently given more money to the Conservative party.

Property tycoons

Firoz Kassam (51)

Currently a Monaco resident worth £250m and until recently owner of Oxford United football club. Of Indian parentage, he ran a Brixton fish and chip shop on arrival from Tanzania, but built a fortune out of hotels, including housing 700 homeless in the Mount Pleasant hotel near Kings Cross and in cheap B&Bs in Victoria.

Complaints by residents about conditions ended council funding, but in the late 90s he bought the London Park hotel in Elephant and Castle, south London and made nearly £3m profit a year by housing 500 single male asylum seekers instead of tourists. He gave £10,000 to the Cameron campaign

Poju Zabludowicz (54)

Worth £2bn, his father, Shlomo, was an Auschwitz survivor who built up arms firm Soltam in Finland. He holds a Finnish passport but lives in Hampstead.

He backs Washington neocon Richard Perle's Center for Security Policy, and Israel lobby group BICOM. He owns 40% of downtown Las Vegas, including casinos. He gave £15,000 to Cameron and another £25,000 to the Conservative party.

Ian Livingstone (44)

Owns London & Regional Properties with his brother Richard. Recently bought luxury Chewton Glen hotel for rumoured £30m. Company gave £10,000.

City traders and their spouses

Edwina Herrmann (38)

Cameron collected £10,000 from this former lobbyist colleague at Carlton TV. She lives in Chester Square, close to Lady Thatcher's townhouse, with her husband Jeremy. He has made himself an estimated £70m at 37, through a hedge fund, Ferox Capital Management.

Jeremy, an Old Rugbeian who says his wife donated her own money of her own accord, became a world-champion fly fisherman in his 20s. Fellow anglers credit his prowess at fooling trout to his "uncanny ability to think like a fish". He and Edwina have since acquired two grouse moors in the north of England, at Muggleswick and East Allenheads.

He named his share-trading company after a predatory variety of trout. Last year, AMF, the French financial authority, began an investigation into allegations of insider trading involving Ferox and three other hedge funds.

The inquiry centres on a billion-dollar bond issue by the French firm Vivendi. At issue is whether hedge funds, knowing the share price would fall as a result of the bond issue, were able to "short" sell in advance, and make a large profit.

Ferox, 75% owned by Herrmann, says in their accounts: "These investigations are invariably lengthy and the partnership is co-operating fully with the authorities. The directors believe, having taken legal advice, that their case is strong."

Ferox is also one of the city traders who have used so-called "employee benefit trusts" to shelter from tax. The schemes have now been outlawed after the Inland Revenue challenged them in the Lords.

Lewis Chester (38)

An Oxford contemporary of Cameron , he and his father David are estimated to be worth £63m. They run hedge fund Pentagon Capital Management.

The firm was named in 2003, during critical publicity about "market-timing", a technique in which huge sums are moved rapidly in and out of unit trusts, said to sometimes disadvantage small savers.

Mr Chester's lawyer says the Financial Services Authority reviewed the entire industry in 2004 and found "there was no sign either that market timing is widespread or that it has been a major source of detriment to long-term investors. There were no adverse findings against my clients."

Chester gave £10,000 to Cameron. Another £50,000 went to the party in the name of his wife, Natalie. He has promised £50,000 a year to Cameron's "Leader's Group" and says: 'He has emerged as a strong charismatic leader."

Jonathan Green (46)

Made £200m from share in hedge fund GLG Partners founded with former associates from Goldman Sachs bank. Now retired to Monaco. GLG was fined £750,000 this year by the FSA for failing to supervise market abuse in alleged insider dealing by one of its traders. He gave £10,000 plus £25,000 to party.

Mark Foster-Brown (42)

Notting Hill hedge fund trader at Altima Partners, former director, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell. Cambridge friend of Prince Edward. Altima paid an average of almost £1m to each of its partners last year. Gave £10,000.

Robert Fleming (74)

The Fleming banking family cashed in a fortune of £1.7bn when they sold out to Chase Manhattan in 2000. Gave £10,000.

Tim Carrington (37)

Heads foreign exchange derivatives arm in London of Dresdner Bank, after career at Standard Chartered Bank and Natwest Markets. Gave £5,000.

Michael Spencer (51)

Heads ICAP money-brokers. Worth £370m. Notting Hill house, chauffeur-driven Mercedes. Spent £1m to have Robbie Williams sing at birthday party in St Tropez. Provides Cameron with £19,000 worth of trips in his private jet, plus £10,000 cash for leadership campaign and another £20,000 to Conservatives in March.

James Lyle

Co-Founded New York-based hedge fund, Millgate Capital in 1997. Previously worked at bankers Morgan Stanley and ran hedge fund Tiger Management. Oxford-educated. Gave £10,000.

Insinger de Beaufort

London arm of Dutch broking firm, formerly chaired by Labour donor Barry Townsley. Present CEO is Piers White, ex MD of Fleming Premier Banking. Gave £10,000.

Paul Dominic Vail

Manager of US Asian equities sales at UBS, he moved to the global bank's London office in December 2000 and lives in Suffok mansion. Donated £3,000.

Marc Jonas (37)

Co-founded the Punch Taverns company, which runs more than 8,000 pubs, taking home almost £1m in share options in 2004. Now director of private equity group Sun Capital. Gave Cameron £10,000.

Ken Costa (56)

Vice-chairman, UBS bank. Churchgoer and donor to Gt Ormond St Children's hospital. Advised Barclay brothers on Telegraph takeover. Gave £2,500

Other Cameron friends

William Sieghart (45)

Eton and Notting Hill. He and partner Neil Mendoza sold out business magazines firm Forward Publishing 2002 for more than £40m. Son of "Justice" founder Paul Sieghart and pours cash into arts and homelessness charities. Gave £10,000 from firm joint-owned with Mendoza.

Lord 'Paddy' Gillford (45)

Old Etonian lobbyist and field sports enthusiast. Son of Earl Clanwilliam. Threw £3,500 conference party for Cameron last year.

Simon Wolfson (38)

CEO of retailers Next. Father David Wolfson was formerly chairman of Next, and onetime chief of staff to Mrs Thatcher. Serves as economic policy adviser to Cameron. Gave £10,000 and another £50,000 to the party.

Andrew Feldman (40)

Key Cameron fundraiser, Oxford friend and tennis partner. Now deputy treasurer. Was paid £900,000 last year from family ladieswear firm, Jayroma, which donated £10,000 to the leadership campaign.

Michael Green (58)

Cameron's old boss at Carlton TV, where he was employed as a lobbyist. Worth £120m. Gave his leadership campaign £10,000.

Alasdair Currie (46)

Trustee of "Who Cares" charity for children in care. Gave £5,000

Mike Balfour (57)

Bournemouth entrepreneur who Founded Fitness First chain of gyms and collected some £21m when he sold out last year. Gave £5,000.

Jamie Borwick (51)

Recently sold out as chairman of Manganese Bronze, which makes London taxis, netting estimated £15m. Now runs Modec, making "green" delivery vans. Gave £5,000 to Cameron and £10,000 to party.

Dominic Casserley (49)

UK Managing partner of McKinsey, the US management consultancy which receives millions in contracts from the present Labour government. Gave £10,000.

Philip Mould (46)

Bond St gallery owner and adviser to Commons art committee. Gave £5,000

Michael Peagram

Worth £37m from sale of Huddersfield chemical firm. Gave £5,000

Stephen Barry (63)

Notting Hill accountant and chairman of nursing homes group Assured Care Centres. Gave £5,000.

Tom Scott (61)

Channel Isles-resident Chrysler dealer known as "Mr Guernsey" for his wide interests there £10,000 to Cameron through UK-registered company and another £90,000 to the party since.

Adam Afriyie (41)

Half-Ghanaian MP for Windsor and Cameron policy adviser. Made £13m last year selling off DeHavilland, his parliamentary legislation-tracking service, to magazine group Emap. Gave £5,000.

George Hollingbery (46)

Conservative candidate at Winchester. Went to Oxford. Sold off stake in chain of veterinary surgeries in 2001. Gave £5,000.

Michael Pass (67)

Worth £51m from Derbyshire carpets business. Gave £5,000.

Peter Dubens (40)

Acquired Pipex, internet firm, and also runs online gambling business, Partner of Jonathan Sieff, M&S founder's grandson. £5,000 to Cameron and £10,000 to party.

Longstanding Tory backers who donated to Cameron's leadership bid

Malcolm Scott

Edinburgh grain merchant, with property interests. Worth £72m. Gave £5,000 to Cameron and £220,100 to the Tories, which may have been a loan now converted into a donation.

Philip Harris

Carpet tycoon and peer worth £250m. Provided helicopter rides worth £55,000 plus £90,000 cash to Cameron campaign, and £307,000 to the party from family company.

Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover

Supermarket family fortune of £2.5bn. Not to be confused with Labour donor and minister David Sainsbury. Gave Cameron a token £5,000 plus £50,000 to the party.

Peter Gummer

PR man and brother of former Tory minister John Selwyn Gummer. Now Lord Chadlington. Gave Cameron £10,000.

Susie Anstey

Wife of Lord Ashcroft, Tory treasurer and multi-million pound party backer. Gave £10,000 for Cameron and another £12,500 to Conservative Central Office plus £50,000 for an auction prize.

Irvine Laidlaw

Worth £730m, with homes in Monaco and Florida. Has given £3.5m to the Tories. Ran conference company IIR. Received a peerage. £10,000 to Cameron.

Sir Christopher Wates

Retired chief of building firm. Family worth £130m. Gave Cameron £10,000. Wates Group Ltd gave another £10,000 to party.