TORIES will only have themselves to blame if they lose the election for Cambridgeshire’s police commissioner following John Pye’s decision to quit as candidate, a campaign team member said today.

“Here we are, two months away from the elections, without a party-elected candidate,” said county councillor and Cabinet member Steve Tierney.

“What a gift to hand to the opposition parties. No doubt they are already rubbing their hands with glee at the enormous fun they can have in the media over all this.

“I very much hope we can decide on our new candidate promptly because if this mess means that some other party wins it will be entirely our own fault.”

Cllr Tierney, a Wisbech town and county councillor, has used his blog to warn colleagues of the consequences of first accepting Mr Pye to stand and then turning their back on him when he refused to become a Tory Party member.

“John Pye stood for election within the local party and made no secret that he wasn’t a member and didn’t plan to become a member,” said Cllr Tierney.

“He was asked about it at meetings and at his hustings and in writing. He stood firm. “And he still won.

“So those people whose attitudes have caused him to step down have ignored the will of the entirety of Cambridgeshire Conservative members who had voted for the candidate they wanted.

“It is not my opinion that makes this situation a grim one. It is the opinion of the entire county party membership as expressed in their voting choices.

“Frankly, I think some of my colleagues in Conservative associations elsewhere in the county have had a moment of madness.”

Cllr Tierney said his initial discomfort about supporting a non party member had been overcome once he had spoken with Mr Pye and indeed he then joined his campaign team.

“I was enthused by his strength of character, his unwillingness to be bullied or pressured and his plain-spoken honesty,” said Cllr Tierney. “In short, I decided to support the man because I was impressed by the sort of man he was.”

On Twitter Cllr Tierney said Mr Pye was being “fairly philosophical” about his decision to quit.

Cllr Tierney added: “We certainly haven’t showered ourselves in glory.”