The Conservative Party wheeled out its big guns as the countdown to polling day went into single figures this week.

With the party remaining 20 points behind in opinion polls, former prime ministers John Major and Margaret Thatcher hit the campaign trail on Tuesday.

Baroness Thatcher, who last week wooed the faithful with a barnstorming "never" to the euro speech, has been campaigning for the Conservatives in Northampton.

Amidst a large crowd, she gave her backing to William Hague and said Conservative opinion poll ratings would improve as the campaign goes on.

"All is not lost, all is never lost," said Thatcher.

Her visit to the Northampton South constituency was in support of the Conservative candidate Shailesh Vara who hopes to take the seat from Labour, which held it at the 1997 election with a slender majority of 744.

The former prime minister added that local constituency associations should remain free to chose whichever candidate they think is best and denied there was any racism in the party. "We value people for what they are," she said.

Party strategists are said to be divided on the merits of using Baroness Thatcher in the election campaign. Private polls conducted for the Labour Party claimed that the majority of the public felt "cool" towards the Tory elder stateswoman.

Whilst the polls still show the Tories heading for a defeat, party sources are claiming that their canvas returns are showing stronger support than at the 1997 general election.