Cameron warns David Davis his Cabinet career could be over in wake of easy by-election win

Speaking in the wake of Davis' re-election as Conservative MP for Haltemprice and Howden in Yorkshire, Cameron warned the former Shadow Home Secretary that he already had 'a very strong shadow cabinet'.

Davis carried off 17,113 votes in what he described was a 'stunning message to the Government'.

But his victory looks to have cost him his political career.

Asked about Davis' prospects of returning to the front bench, Cameron said:

'Obviously, I will talk to him about what the future holds, but I have a very strong shadow cabinet.

Winning grin: David Davis is congratulated by Miss Great Britain, Gemma Garrett

'David is a very strong Conservative and a very big figure in our party and I'm sure there are all sorts of ways in which he will be able to contribute in the future.'

Members of Davis' association are also said to be angry at having to shoulder a £200,000 bill for fighting an unnecessary contest.

Davis' hopes of a frontbench comeback also appeared to have been dashed after Mr Cameron ruled out making the traditional visit to the by-election victor in his constituency today.

Mr Cameron hailed Mr Davis as a "brave and courageous" man, but made clear that his surprise decision to quit Westminster to fight on the issue of 42 days was a personal one.

'He fought his by-election very bravely and strongly and I think he has made his point in the way he wanted to,' said the Tory leader.

A supporter of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party poses during the count at the Haltemprice and Howden by-election

The by-election had been triggered by Davis' sudden resignation last month following the Government's vote to extend pre-charge detention of terror suspects to 42 days.

Standing on what he called a 'freedom mandate', he was joined by only fringe candidates, 26 of them.

He thanked them last night for the 'entertaining campaign' which culminated in an unexpected recount.

On a serious note he said the result was a 'shot across the bows of Gordon Brown's authoritarian government'.

Yesterday's turn-out was 34 per cent, against the 70 per cent in 2005 when he held the seat with a majority of 5,116.

David Davis speaks, with the 25 other candidates at the Haltemprice leisure centre, as his victory in the Haltemprice and Howden by-election is announced

Mr Davis, who threw away what looked increasingly like a certain Cabinet job as Home Secretary to fight the seat, will now have to settle for life on the backbenches.

Mr Davis had resigned as MP - and Shadow Home Secretary - in order to draw public attention to what he said was the rapid erosion of civil liberties under Labour.

But his hopes of a heated contest evaporated when the Prime Minister refused to provide a candidate for what he said was a 'stunt' in a safe Tory seat.

Mr Cameron urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to ditch 42-day detention in the wake of its denunciation as "unworkable" by former head of MI5 Lady Manningham-Buller.

'I hope the Government will take this opportunity to think again,' he said.

'They have got to start looking at the argument and looking at the evidence and do what is right.'

Decision day: Conservative candidate David Davis casts his vote at the Shire Hall polling station

The Lib Dems did not take part either, to show support for Mr Davis' stand on 42 days.

Mr Davis was left without the heavy hitters needed for his debate and was instead pursued by the likes of Mad Cow Girl, the conspiracy theorist David Icke, a former Miss Great Britain and Bus Pass Elvis from the Church of the Militant Elvis Party.

The by-election had the largest field of any ever held in UK, beating the previous record of 19 in the 1993 Newbury poll.