An East Midlands MEP says he could quit the Tory party because of a row over his successor.

Roger Helmer, 67, had announced that he would retire from his seat in the European Parliament tomorrow.

He has now said he will not resign unless the party guarantees that Rupert Matthews, 50, succeeds him in the £73,000-a-year role.

Under the Conservative Party's constitution, Mr Helmer's seat should be offered to Mr Matthews, as the candidate who was next on the Tory list for the East Midlands at the 2009 election.

The party said it would not confirm who succeeded him until he officially resigned.

Mr Helmer, who lives in Ashby Magna, said: "The party is looking for any excuse to stop Rupert from becoming my successor – they have decided they don't want him.

"They clearly want someone in the new Conservative image – a leftish Europhile eco-friendly metrosexual.

"That is something Rupert is not.

"I originally had no plans to leave the party but now you never know. I need to see how things develop over the next few weeks. They might even sack me.

"I won't be resigning unless it is confirmed that Rupert will replace me.

"I am now in a Mexican stand-off with the party's chairman, Baroness Warsi."

The party in Westminster has previously said that it was looking into reports that golliwog dolls featured on the front cover of a book published by a company of which Mr Matthews is a director.

In a broadside against the party's leadership on Tory grassroots website ConservativeHome yesterday, Mr Helmer wrote: "I have indicated to the party chairman that if the situation is not resolved within a few weeks, I shall withdraw my offer to resign.

"I am quite prepared, if necessary, to stay in place for the remaining two-and-a-half years of my mandate.

"If I am obliged to stay in place until 2014, I shall feel no further sense of obligation or responsibility to the party."

Comments posted on the site in response to the article were broadly positive.

Christina Speight wrote: "You've fought the good fight for Britain and for Conservative principles.

"Continue to uphold them please and let the troublemakers go hang."

Rod Sellers wrote: "Fight on, Roger, and use what remaining clout you have to defeat Cameron's appeasement policy to towards the EU."

A spokesman for the party's head office said the issue of Mr Helmer's successor could not be discussed until Mr Helmer had resigned.