National Trust members should be given a veto over the appointment of the new chairman to stop the charity's board hiring a political campaigner, the Restore Trust group is demanding.

The four leaders of Restore Trust said the National Trust should ensure the next chairman was subject to a ‘confirmatory vote’ at the annual general meeting this autumn.

The call has been backed by Conservative MPs concerned that the Trust has lost touch with its core base of support following the publication of its report linking its properties with colonialism and slavery.

However, the demand was refused by the National Trust, which insisted its ruling council would make any final decision.

The chairman of the Trust is an unpaid role and is the most senior of the charity’s 50,000 volunteers, looking after the charity's 5.6 million members.

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