A millionaire MP accused of having links with a Russian tycoon facing massive fraud charges today hit back saying: "It's absolute nonsense."

In the latest twist in a bitter feud, Gregory Barker has been accused of having financial ties to Boris Berezovsky by former Conservative party colleague Charles Wardle, whom he replaced as Tory MP for Bexhill and Battle in 2001.

Mr Wardle has written to Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith calling for an investigation into Mr Barker's alleged links with the tycoon.

His allegations were made public in a Sunday Times article published at the weekend.

Mr Barker has said the accusations are part of on-going ill-feeling between the two, which began when Mr Wardle was accused of urging local voters to back the UK Independence Party candidate instead of his successor.

Berezovsky was arrested in March and is facing extradition from Britain accused of a multi-million pound fraud by authorities in Moscow.

The 57-year-old car dealership magnate, who is a fierce opponent of Russian president Vladimir Putin, has denied defrauding the country's south-eastern Samara region dismissing the charges as a "sham."

Mr Barker has admitted meeting Berezovsky in Russia. But he today denied having any other association with him.

He said: "It is absolute nonsense. There isn't a grain of truth in it."

In his letter to Mr Duncan Smith, Mr Wardle is believed to have outlined a series of concerns about his former fellow party member's business dealings.

He is reported to have highlighted the connection between Berezovsky and Sibneft, the Moscow firm for whom Mr Barker was head of communications before taking up his post as an MP.

Mr Barker said: "I came across Mr Berezovsky in 1998 in a business capacity. That was the last time I saw him. I've never had any further dealings with him. I don't even have his telephone number."

Mr Wardle, 63, had his party whip withdrawn in 2001 after Tory bosses accused him of failing to support Mr Barker's election campaign, instead urging local voters to back the UKIP. At the time both men refuted accusations of in-fighting.

Mr Wardle went on to take up a £120,000 a year non-executive directorship of Harrods from Mohammed al-Fayed - he remained on the board for just a few months before leaving to pursue other business interests.

Mr Barker said he would wait until he received correspondence from the central Tory Party office before considering whether to take legal action.

He said: "I haven't seen anything at the moment. If it was serious, it would bother me."

Mr Wardle was unavailable for comment.