A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of British politician Ann Widdecombe was found in her home on Thursday.
Her body was found with a head injury in her home in Haytor in southwest England. A 26-year-old male suspect was arrested at an address located in Newton Abbot, not far from Widdecombe’s home. The suspect remains in police custody and has been described as a white British national. The investigation is not currently being treated as a terrorist incident, though it remains in the early stages, with police urging the public to come forward with relevant information.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer 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. Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.”
Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage expressed admiration for the deceased Widdecombe. He said her Christian beliefs and socially conservative views may not have been popular in Britain, but they were what she believed in.
“She never ever sought popularity,” he said in remarks posted on X. “She was kind to everybody. Frankly, this was somebody who gave her life to public service to fight for the things that she believed in. I’m deeply, deeply, upset by the nature of her death.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said he was shocked upon learning the police launched a murder investigation into Widdecombe’s death.
“She was a woman of deep faith who devoted her life to public service,” he said in a post on X. “The idea that she could have been murdered is truly horrifying. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and all who loved her.”
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Widdecombe, 78, who joined Reform UK in 2023 and served as their immigration and justice spokesperson, was a staunch social conservative and Eurosceptic. She was first elected to the House of Commons as a member of the Conservative Party in 1987 and served in John Major’s government in the 1990s. She retired as an MP after 23 years in 2010, only to return in 2019 as a member of the Brexit Party, serving in the European Parliament before that party was replaced by Reform UK. In 2010, she won over new fans with a memorable stint on Strictly Come Dancing, the British equivalent of Dancing with the Stars, which lasted nine weeks.