Family, friends and colleagues from politics gather today for the funeral of Ann Widdecombe at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, where she regularly worshipped. The former Tory MP and Reform UK spokesperson died on July 8 aged 78, after being hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor. Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was charged with her murder on July 20.
Service details
The private Catholic service at the Benedictine abbey will be led by Right Reverend David Charlesworth, Abbot of Buckfast. The first bible reading will be delivered by her great-nephew Jem Widdecombe. Music by Bach, French pianist Jeanne Demessieux and organist George Thalben-Ball will be played before the service begins. Hymns include Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art, and the funeral will close with a Gregorian chant.
Tributes and donations
Donations made in Ann's memory will be divided between the Leprosy Mission charity and Abound India. A statement from the abbey said she would be "missed and fondly remembered" and "many in our worshipping community knew her as a kind and warm character". The statement 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."
Public memorial
A public memorial for Miss Widdecombe will be held later this year. In a statement released ahead of the funeral, her family said: "We understand that there is significant public interest in the funeral of Ann Widdecombe. A private service for family and close friends will be held in the coming weeks, and invitations for this ceremony have been distributed. A more public memorial will follow later in the year, the details of which will be released in due course. While we are very grateful for the wide expression of condolences, the family would ask that this initial service is limited to those closest to Ann."
Miss Widdecombe was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, was a 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 found fame outside politics on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.
