Margaret Head, second on the Group A ticket, says she is too late to run independently, but is urging people to vote for her below the line.

Her withdrawal comes after the Group A team leader Greg Butler brought in the police and Electoral Commission after independent candidate Nathan Furry’s volunteer filmed the Meet the Candidates forum last Wednesday. 

The film captured 90 minutes of candidate speeches but omitted the final two, he says due to his battery dying.

Mr Butler accused Mr Furry of illegally filming the evening and said the Electoral Commission had advised him to speak to the police, who suggested Mr Butler sort it out with Mr Furry. Taking to social media, he accused Mr Furry of breaking the law.

Yet, Mrs Head said it wasn’t just this incident that prompted her withdrawal. “There have been a couple of incidents,” she said. “Petty, small mindedness, that is just nasty. For me, integrity is crucial as well as to think broadly, and I didn’t see any evidence of that.”

Mr Butler told the Tribune Mr Furry complied with his request to remove the recording online and apologised for his actions. Yet, Mr Furry denied an apology and affirmed having permission to record it. He labelled Mr Butler’s actions as attempts to ‘threaten, harass and intimidate’.

“I asked him to withdraw the film, I fail to see how me getting advice from the police was threatening, intimidating or a form of harassment,” Mr Butler said. “I think he is doing this deliberately to upset other members of my team, who are not politically astute.”

Louise Burmester, also on the ticket, has publicly withdrawn her candidacy on social media.