Former Big Brother housemate Daze Aghaji sparked a heated debate on BBC's Politics Live after discussing murdered Reform politician Ann Widdecombe's controversial legacy. Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her home in Haytor, Dartmoor, on Thursday morning, with counter-terrorism police leading a murder investigation.
Aghaji's Comments on Widdecombe's Record
Appearing alongside Labour MP Jess Asato and Tory MP Nigel Huddleston, Aghaji raised Widdecombe's anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion stance. She stated: 'It’s awful that she was murdered, especially being 78 as well. I think that’s quite a sad way to go out. But I think there is a lot of controversy around how she lived her political life. I’m a real believer that the values that we hold are the politics that we practice, and I feel like it would be amiss to not mention the fact that she pushed against LGBTQ+ rights throughout all of her career. She also said a lot of things about the victims of Harvey Weinstein during Me Too. She said they chose it upon themselves, and she was vehemently anti-abortion. So I feel like, even though what’s happened is absolutely awful, there are a lot of people who won’t be grieving this.'
MPs React with Outrage
Huddleston labelled Aghaji's remarks 'completely inappropriate', adding: 'I think you will regret what you just said there.' When Aghaji pushed back, he claimed Widdecombe had 'lots of gay friends' and that her views were 'grounded in her faith, her beliefs, which are shared'. Aghaji, a Christian herself, disagreed, prompting Huddleston to say she should 'respect her views'. He then expressed discomfort sitting next to the Big Brother alum. Aghaji replied: 'I hear that. But as someone who is queer, my rights have been affected by her speeches. She has been a part of Reform, which, as someone who had to live through the race riots of last year, her actions have contributed to a lot of my community having very difficult lives.'
Public Support for Aghaji
A clip of the exchange on X garnered over 130,000 views, with many backing Aghaji. User Bob Johnson wrote that Huddleston 'doesn’t seem to appreciate that many things can be true at the same time', adding: 'It is possible to be sad that a person has died, be horrified in the way she died but also be critical of how her political actions adversely affected others.' Another commenter, Bec, expressed exasperation that Aghaji was invited on a politics show only to be 'berated' for discussing Widdecombe's politics. Jas praised Aghaji for not being 'derogatory', while Brad wrote: 'Daze was totally right. As she said if we’re talking about legacy then that is hers. Solidarity with Daze speaking truth.'
Widdecombe's Controversial Past
Widdecombe was highly critical of gay marriage and opposed same-sex couples on Strictly Come Dancing, saying of boxer Nicola Adams’s pairing with a female dancer: 'I don’t think it is what viewers of Strictly, especially families, are looking for.' During a stint on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, she was accused of victim-blaming after saying of Weinstein’s victims: 'It’s down to them; they had a choice.'
