A police investigation into the death of former English MP and minister Ann Widdecombe was launched by Devon and Cornwall Police on Friday. The 78-year-old woman was found dead in the town of Haytor in the United Kingdom on Thursday.
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The police clarified in a press briefing that the former Reform UK party representative was allegedly killed by a white man who could be on the run.
Ann Widdecombe, 78, was a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010 and Secretary of State for Prisons from 1995 to 1997.
A fervent supporter of Brexit, she left the Tories in 2019 to join Nigel Farage’s party, under whose banner she was elected an MEP, before becoming spokesperson for Reform UK.
Police in Devon and Cornwall (southwest of England) said they had opened a “murder” investigation, following the “suspicious death” of Ms. Widdecombe at her home in Devon. She added that the victim’s body had “serious injuries”.
The deputy head of the police force, Matt Longman, told a press briefing that a 26-year-old British citizen had been arrested in connection with the case.
He added that he did not have “any information allowing us to assert that this is a crime of a political nature”, specifying that the terrorist trail had been ruled out at this stage.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the news is “shocking” and that the “most important thing right now” is finding the “dangerous” suspect, according to the BBC.
For her part, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and former colleague of Ms. Widdecombe spoke to the media.
“She was a very pleasant and festive woman who was not afraid to say what she thought,” she said.
Ann Widdecombe “played a decisive role in making Brexit a reality and will be missed by all of us,” praised former Brexit herald Nigel Farage.
The former MP gained public sympathy by participating in 2010 in the BBC show “Strictly Come Dancing”, the ultra-popular British version of “Dancing with the Stars”. She reached the quarter-finals thanks to the vote of viewers, seduced by her self-deprecation.
