William Hague has pledged not to play election 'race card'

The revelations, on the Guardian newapaper's website, come two weeks after Tory leader William Hague joined other political leaders in signing a pledge not to use the "race card" during the election campaign.

Conservative Central Office has refused to comment on the film, due to be shot this week, but shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe said the party made "no apology" for challenging the government on asylum policy.

Backbench critic

But the move has drawn criticism from elsewhere in the party.

Conservative MP Ian Taylor said William Hague should not "repeat the error" of his recent speech claiming Labour would turn Britain into a "foreign" country.

"Mingling asylum seekers, illegal immigrants and hostility to the EU is standing on the wrong side of the dividing line in the sand," he told Guardian Unlimited.

"If the Tory Party wants to get re-elected we must realise the UK's problems are not the fault of asylum seekers."

The search for "Eastern Europeans" was faxed to casting agencies.

The party also asked for a "French-looking" barman, suggesting the film will start on the continent before following the "asylum seekers" to Britain.

Greengrocer

It's thought that a British greengrocer will also feature in the film - a possible reference to Steve Thoburn, the Sunderland greengrocer backed by the Tories in his fight to continue selling produce in imperial measures.

Labour's appalling failure to tackle the problem of bogus asylum seekers is one of the biggest stains on their four years in power

Ann Widdecombe

The faxes warn agents to ask all actors if they are willing to take part in a Conservative broadcast before their names are passed to the party.

It is reported that the actors will be paid �1,000 a day.

It is less than two weeks since the Tories joined Labour and the Liberal Democrats at an event organised by the Campaign for Racial Equality, in which the parties pledged not to do anything "likely to stir up racial prejudice".

Conservative Central Office refused to confirm or deny any details of the broadcast.

Appalling failure

But an unapologetic statement from Miss Widdecombe said: "Labour's appalling failure to tackle the problem of bogus asylum seekers is one of the biggest stains on their four years in power."

"The cost of handling this problem has doubled to �800m a year since the Conservatives left office.

"We make no apologies about our efforts to highlight the government's mismanagement of this criminal-inspired trade in human lives."

A Labour spokeswoman said: "The Tories are always exploiting immigration on the one hand, while refusing to back Labour measures to restrict illegal immigration, such as penalties for road hauliers and the voucher system for asylum seekers."