James Cracknell refused to commit his future to Colchester after losing to Pam Cox in the General Election.

The Conservative candidate won 10,554 votes to finish second behind Mrs Cox, who won the Colchester constituency with 18,804 votes.

Mr Cracknell congratulated Mrs Cox on her victory but bristled when he was asked by the Gazette whether he would commit to a political future in Colchester after Friday's defeat.

He said: “If you expect a serious answer, then ask a serious ****ing question.

“You’re asking me that one minute after I’ve come off the stage – you’ve got all day to ask a good question and you ****ing come up with that one?”

He later added: “I haven’t even spoken to my wife – if you think I am going to tell you before her, then dream on.”

When asked whether he was cut out for politics, he said: “It’s irrelevant what I see myself as – I only get one vote.

“You’ll have to ask the 10,000 people who voted for me.”

Mr Cracknell refused to blame his defeat on the Conservatives’ poor performance nationally.

He said: “I’m annoyed I lost.

“It is too easy for me to point to the national picture and say 'I was always going to lose'.

"I failed to convince the people of Colchester I was right for them.

“I have come to Colchester with a fresh pair of eyes and many of the decisions people don’t like were made by people up there and one of them is their MP.”

He continued: “On a personal level, what I tried to do for the campaign was to be true to myself and never tell a lie.

“I can’t stand on the doorstep and say I am going to be true to myself and not call it out when I see what is exhibited within my party.”

In a brief speech to the crowd inside the Colchester Sports Park, Mr Cracknell argued Labour’s vote share nationally had only risen by one per cent compared to 2019.

He said: “It is not easy to stand in this situation – it is not easy being a Tory candidate at the moment.

“It does show the country is in a state where it needs to improve.”