David Cameron is to devote his energies to the by-election in Henley on June 26 rather than the unwanted contest in Yorkshire forced by David Davis, it emerged yesterday.

While the Conservative leader is expected to visit Mr Davis's Haltemprice & Howden constituency, thus avoiding suggestions that they have fallen out, no date has been fixed and he will not be rushing to the North of England, The Times understands.

As Mr Davis's motives continued to be dissected by his Conservative colleagues, Gordon Brown attacked the by-election plan as a farce. In the clearest indication that Labour will not fight the seat, he said: “I think everyone now recognises that this is a stunt that has become a farce and has revealed the deep divisions of the party.”

Mr Davis was in danger of staging a contest with none of the frontline parties against him, as only the Monster Raving Loony Party and Kelvin MacKenzie, a former editor of The Sun, showed an early interest in standing.

But the former Shadow Home Secretary moved his campaign team to his constituency and welcomed the chance to take on Mr MacKenzie or anyone else.

Westminster remained puzzled by Mr Davis's move. Lord Heseltine, who walked out of a Tory Cabinet during the Westland affair, said that Mr Davis had given up the chance to influence Tory policy. “To throw it all away for a by-election. It will prove nothing.”

There was speculation that Mr Cameron might be tempted to carry out a reshuffle to reduce the influence of Mr Davis's supporters, but early changes appeared unlikely. It was also being assumed that he would be offered another job on his return, but not the one he left. That has gone to Dominic Grieve, who is not seen as a stopgap.

Mr Cameron emphasised that it would be a “personal” campaign by Mr Davis. “Many people will admire him for taking that stand but it is a personal decision, it is not a Shadow Cabinet decision, it is very much his.”

There will be no central financial backing for the contest, which Shadow ministers fear will distract from their campaigns on health, schools and family policy.

Mr MacKenzie, a backer of the 42-days policy, told Today on Radio 4: “I don't feel it's right that he should be allowed to have a walkover, a major procession. I don't feel my civil liberties as being at risk but I view my life as being at risk if I am on the Tube or the train and some bad guy wants to blow me up or blow my family up.”

A spokesman for the East Riding of Yorkshire Council emphasised that the cost of elections was always recouped from central government and any by-election would not cost local council taxpayers any extra.

Mr Davis said Mr Brown's refusal to field a candidate was “supreme political cowardice”. “He is not prepared to debate, and is unwilling to let the people vote on Labour's miserable track record in stifling our fundamental freedoms - except under conditions in which he can bully and bribe his way to victory.”

Meanwhile, Labour was planning to use Mr Davis's launch statement to suggest that the Tories were softer on crime. Officials said Mr Davis appeared to be against the use of closed-circuit television, without which the July 21 bombers would not have been identified.

Mr Davis's successor was embroiled in controversy last night when Labour raised comments that he made after the London suicide attacks in 2005. Dominic Grieve, then the Shadow Attorney-General, said that the attacks were “totally explicable” because of the deep anger felt by many British Muslims over Iraq.

Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, said: “It is astonishing that the man David Cameron thinks should be Home Secretary believes we need to understand the actions of bombers. It is clear that Cameron and his new Shadow Home Secretary have failed to get to grips with the essential issue of national security and seem to be soft on terrorists.”

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