William Hague looks set to win an an overwhelming endorsement of his pre-manifesto document by Conservative Party members.

But only one in six party members is believed to have registered a vote so far and the low turnout will disappoint party strategists.

Only 50,000 of the 300,000 ballot papers sent out to members have been returned.

The result is due to be declared as the party's annual conference opens in Bournemouth on Monday.

However, ballots are still being counted, and it is not too late for a last-minute surge in voting, as ballot papers may be returned over the weekend.

'Foregone conclusion'

The document, Believing in Britain, launched last month, outlines Tory policies on keeping the pound, tackling illicit asylum-seeking and clamping down on crime.

It will form the basis of the Tory manifesto in the next general election.

Party sources said the low turnout may be explained by the broad agreement within the party on Mr Hague's policies, which meant that most members saw the result as a foregone conclusion.

But they admitted that they were "disappointed" with the level of participation, which compares unfavourably with the 202,000 Tories who voted in 1998 on Mr Hague's decision to rule out euro-entry in the next Parliament.

About 100 new policies are outlined in the document.