81,000 members quit after Cameron became Conservative leader

Nearly a third of Conservative members resigned from the party after David Cameron became its leader in 2005, according to a report on the membership of parties and charity organisations.

The Conservative party currently has 177,000 members, which is down by 81,000 from the 258,000 membership when Cameron became the party leader.

Over the same period, Labour's membership fell by only 4,000 to 194,000, according to a report from the House of Commons library.

It is the first time official figures from each party have shown Labour in front.

A Conservative party spokesperson said she did not accept the report, and termed conclusions as 'total nonsense'.

"Party engagement continues to increase through our Friends of the Party scheme, which currently stands at more than 500,000 registered individuals," the spokesperson said.

The Liberal Democrats have 65,000 members, which is 8,000 down since 2005.

The report added the National Trust, the RSPB and similar organisations had become more popular during the period.