Norfolk police and crime commissioner Colin Sutton has cancelled a planned 127-date speaking tour after admitting the schedule was “ridiculous” and saying he did not want to give the impression that he failed to take his public role seriously.
The Reform politician had intended to combine his £79,000-a-year taxpayer-funded position with a year-long true crime stage show, arguing that it could be carried out in his “spare time”. However, three-quarters of the performances were scheduled for weekdays across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.
Mr Sutton announced the U-turn five days after details of the tour emerged and prompted widespread criticism. He said he would now focus on his responsibilities as Norfolk PCC.
“I’m not sure I could do 127 dates, because that’s ridiculous, but I could have done some,” he said.
“But what I don’t want to do is give the impression to anybody that I don’t take this role seriously and I’m not going to do a good job on this.”
The former Metropolitan Police detective chief inspector was due to discuss his career, including the investigations that led to serial killer Levi Bellfield and “Nightstalker” rapist Delroy Grant being brought to justice.
The proposed show, The Makings of a Murderer – Double Jeopardy, included a demanding schedule. A performance in Llandudno on February 1 was followed by a PCC panel meeting in Norfolk the next day before another show in Leeds that evening.
On another occasion, a panel meeting on April 29 was scheduled between a performance in Stevenage the previous night and a show in Farsley, Yorkshire, later that day.
Shadow policing and crime minister Matt Vickers described the tour as a “cash-generating jaunt”, while Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew accused Mr Sutton of concentrating on his “side-hustle” rather than his official duties.
Matthew Taylor, the Conservative candidate who came second in July’s PCC election, said the episode was “a sorry saga” that eroded public confidence in elected representatives. South Norfolk Labour MP Ben Goldsborough said it was “good” that the tour had been cancelled.
Mr Sutton had complained of being subjected to a “pile-on” by the public and media, and said he believed he was being targeted because he was both a Reform UK politician and Norfolk’s PCC.
At a North Norfolk District Council scrutiny committee meeting, he said: “I’m not trying to say this is all somebody else’s fault. It’s not because I should have been more honest with myself about how much PCC work was taking up my time.”
He also said he had not mentioned the tour during the run-up to the PCC election because “there’s always a chance you’re not going to get elected”. He had previously insisted that the shows had been approved by the PCC office.
In a statement, Mr Sutton said: “Upon reflection on the feedback from Norfolk residents and the time requirements for the role of the PCC, I have decided not to go ahead with the proposed tour.”
He added: “I will continue to apply all my energies to the important task of making Norfolk Constabulary an even better police force that is responsive to its neighbourhoods.”
The promoter, Entertainers, said the 2027 tour would still go ahead with another true crime professional at its centre. It said Mr Sutton had underestimated the demands of the tour alongside his professional commitments, but added that he took his responsibilities to the people of Norfolk seriously.
