Around 100 family members, friends and colleagues attended the funeral of Ann Widdecombe at Buckfast Abbey in Devon on Wednesday. The former Tory minister, who died aged 78, was remembered at a requiem mass at the Catholic abbey where she regularly worshipped and called her “safe haven”.
Requiem Mass and Security
Mourners wearing black arrived for the service, which lasted around 90 minutes. Ahead of the mass, police officers, including sniffer dogs, were seen searching the grounds. The private service included a homily from the Rt Rev David Charlesworth, Abbot of Buckfast.
In his homily, the abbot said: “In the midst of the shock, clamour and sometimes unwarranted comment surrounding her death, our response is to pray for the repose of her soul, to give thanks for her fortitude, and offer Holy Mass in this Abbey Church which Ann called her safe haven.” He added: “Here we pray that she has finally been enfolded in the arms of the Risen Lord, where true love and peace reign, and where she will hear the Lord’s words, ‘well done, my good and faithful servant’.”
Mourners and Tributes
Among those attending were shadow chancellor Mel Stride, Conservative former justice minister Crispin Blunt and broadcaster Iain Dale. In a post on LBC’s website, Mr Dale paid tribute to his friend and said he hopes to meet her in heaven one day. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage did not attend, as he was campaigning in Clacton and did not wish to draw attention at the funeral, which the family asked to be kept private. However, he is expected to attend a public memorial later this year.
In a post on X, Mr Farage described her as an “extraordinary woman who left a serious mark on British politics” and said “she will be sorely missed”.
Life and Legacy
An earlier statement from the abbey said Miss Widdecombe would be “missed and fondly remembered”, and “many in our worshipping community knew her as a kind and warm character”. It added: “Ann was a woman of profound faith, a faith which found expression in the public forum of politics. Ann was unafraid to express her unwavering convictions, formed through her Roman Catholic faith. She had a sharp intellect and was a dedicated public servant.”
The order of service showed tributes would be paid by the Rev Roger Widdecombe, her nephew, and Sir Christian Sweeting, a close friend. Donations in her memory will be divided between the Leprosy Mission and Abound, supporting the projects of the Christian Endeavour Hostel in India.
Miss Widdecombe was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, served as prisons minister in the 1990s, and later became an MEP for the Brexit Party. At the time of her death she was a spokeswoman on immigration and justice for Reform UK. She also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother. She died on July 8 after being hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor. Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was charged with her murder on July 20.
