A 26-year-old white British man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering former MP and MEP Ann Widdecombe. The ex-Tory prisons minister was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries. Miss Widdecombe, who was 78, later became a Brexit Party MEP and subsequently a Reform UK spokeswoman.
Arrest and Investigation
Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said the suspect was arrested at an address in Newton Abbot on Friday. He stated the case was “not being treated as terrorism” and there was “no information” at this time to suggest it was a “politically-motivated crime”. Longman added: “This is an extremely tragic incident. Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Miss Widdecombe in this very difficult time.” Police are remaining “open-minded” about the motive for the attack and it was too early to comment on whether the suspect was known to Miss Widdecombe.
Political Reactions
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged people to come together across political divides following the murder. Speaking to reporters at his Chequers country retreat, he said he had spoken to his likely successor Andy Burnham, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage to “urge everybody to come together at a moment like this”. He said: “This is really shocking news, and my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this awful time for them. Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.”
Conservative leader Mrs Badenoch said: “I’ve really struggled to find the words to say. Ann Widdecombe was a very fun and feisty woman who spoke her mind, and she was 78 years old, she was an elderly woman. I don’t understand how someone could do something so horrific to an elderly person. It was a nasty, horrific attack and my heart is breaking for her family.”
Career and Legacy
Miss Widdecombe was a Conservative MP between 1987 and 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, and held several ministerial positions in Sir John Major’s government. She famously clashed with her Conservative colleague Michael Howard, when she was a Home Office minister and he home secretary, describing him as having “something of the night about him”. Miss Widdecombe also faced flak for defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to their beds.
In her post-Commons career, she appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, partnered with Anton du Beke, and survived until the competition’s semi-finals thanks to the public vote. She became a member of Mr Farage’s Brexit Party from 2019 and served as an MEP representing South West England in Brussels between 2019 and 2020. She later became immigration and justice spokeswoman for Mr Farage’s Reform UK and remained active in the media – she appeared on TalkTV on Wednesday, the day before she was found dead.
