By William James and Andrew MacAskill
LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) – British police arrested a man on Friday on suspicion of murdering Ann Widdecombe, after the 78-year-old former government minister and Reform UK politician was found dead having “sustained serious injuries”.
Police said a 26-year-old, white British man had been arrested in Newton Abbot, a town about 9 miles (15 km) from Widdecombe’s home in rural southwest England.
Devon and Cornwall police assistant chief constable Matt Longman said there was no information to suggest the murder was related to terrorism or had a political motive.
Widdecombe was well known for her socially conservative views, first as a junior minister in Conservative prime minister John Major’s 1992-1997 government and latterly as an immigration and justice spokesperson for Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK.
Police said officers were called to Widdecombe’s home shortly after midday on Thursday, where she was found dead. Forensic examinations at the property were ongoing, they said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to “Ann’s dedication during her many years of public service”.
Two serving British members of parliament have been murdered in the last decade.
The Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a Nazi-obsessed loner during the Brexit campaign in 2016. The Conservative lawmaker David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021 by a man inspired by the militant group, Islamic State.
WIDDECOMBE KNOWN FOR SOCIALLY CONSERVATIVE, PRO-BREXIT VIEWS
Throughout her political career Widdecombe was known for her bluntness and socially conservative views, including opposition to abortion and to equalising the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual relationships.
She also defended a policy of shackling pregnant prisoners during child birth to prevent their escape, and viewed single mothers as poor role models, but was unusual among Conservative lawmakers in opposing the hunting of foxes with hounds.
In one of her most memorable comments, she said her former boss and future Conservative leader, Michael Howard, had “something of the night about him”.
Widdecombe said she never had sex or experienced romance, and converted to Catholicism partly in protest at the Church of England’s ordination of women as priests.
After leaving parliament, she appeared on the TV talent show “Strictly Come Dancing” in 2010. Despite her awkward dancing style and criticism from the judges, she was popular with viewers. Later she said the show’s decision to feature same-sex couples was out of keeping with its family audience.
She later joined Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and served as a member of the European Parliament between 2019 and 2020.
Following the announcement of her death, and before details of the murder inquiry were announced, former colleagues from both the Conservative and Reform UK parties paid tribute to her.
Farage said she “played a decisive role in getting Brexit over the line”.
Former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson called her “a heroic Brexiteer and a great speaker who could move Tory audiences to such ecstasy that she was a very hard act to follow.”
(Reporting by William James and Andrew MacAskill; additional reporting by Muvija and Sam Tobin. Editing by David Milliken, Sharon Singleton and Andrew Heavens)
