THE POLICE and Crime Commissioner election will need to be re-run in the coming months – after “disbarred” Jonathon Seed claimed victory last night with more than 100,000 votes.

The Wiltshire councillor announced on Sunday he was withdrawing from the race, as it emerged a 30-year-old drink driving conviction would disqualify him from taking up the post. By law, anyone convicted of an imprisonable office cannot act as police and crime commissioner.

Mr Seed, who says he first declared his drink drive conviction to the party in 2011 but was assured it wouldn’t disbar him, won 84,885 first preference votes. Liberal Democrat Liz Webster took 35,013 first preference votes and went through to the second round of counting with the Conservative councillor.

READ MORE: Read Jonathon Seed's letter to council official explaining why he withdrew

Once second preference votes were counted, Mr Seed was confirmed as having won the election with 100,003 votes. Ms Webster received 58,074 votes.

Mr Seed did not attend the count.

Wiltshire Council said that it would now consider the next steps to take after taking “appropriate legal advice”.

Under the 2011 law setting up the police and crime commissioner election process, a successful candidate has up to two months to sign the “declaration” to take up the role. If that declaration is not signed, the post becomes vacant and another election must be run. The post can also be declared vacant by order of the High Court.

READ MORE: Wiltshire Police issues statement after Jonathon Seed announcement

Mike Rees, who ran for the role as an independent, said there “needs to be a consideration” given into a criminal investigation into Jonathon Seed’s actions.

Mr Rees said the Conservative candidate had made a “complete farce” of the process — where candidates must pay £5,000 to run.

Liz Webster said the Conservative Party needed to answer questions over when they knew about the historic conviction making him ineligible to stand.

“If it was before Thursday, why didn’t they say anything before?” she said.

“Because that would have allowed the voters to make an informed decision and we may not have had to re-run the election.

“Once the result is declared, we’re pretty sure that Seed will not take his place. A formal police investigation will need to be launched and depending on the outcome of this it may be a case for the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Reform Party candidate Julian Malins QC told the BBC: “Maybe the Conservatives will do the right thing and not put up a candidate because for the party of law and order – I wouldn’t wish to kick anybody when they’re down – to put up a candidate for the crime commissioner post who’s got a previous imprisonable offence is something that is almost incredible and...it’s kept me laughing all day.”

The election is understood to have cost the taxpayer more than £1m to run.

Police said they had received a report “relating” to Mr Seed’s withdrawal from the election and officers were assessing how to respond.