On Friday, British police arrested a 26-year-old white man in Newton Abbot—about 15 km from Ann Widdecombe's rural home in southwest England—on suspicion of murdering the 78-year-old former government minister and Reform UK politician. She was found dead at home with "serious injuries," and officers said there is no indication the killing was linked to terrorism or any political motive.
Police were called to Widdecombe's home shortly after midday on Thursday, and forensic examinations at the property are ongoing.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to Widdecombe's "dedication" across her years of public service. Widdecombe's death follows the murders of two sitting UK MPs in the past decade: Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 and Conservative MP David Amess in 2021.
Widdecombe was known for her socially conservative positions throughout her political career, including opposition to abortion and proposals to equalize the age of consent for same-sex and heterosexual relationships. She also defended restraining pregnant prisoners during childbirth to prevent escape, and she viewed single mothers as poor role models—though she was notably one of the few Conservative politicians who opposed fox hunting with hounds.
Among her well-known remarks, she once said her former boss and later Conservative leader Michael Howard had "something of the night about him." She later said she had never had sex or experienced romance and converted to Catholicism partly in protest at the Church of England's practice of ordaining women as priests.
After leaving Parliament, she appeared on the TV dance competition Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, where she drew both criticism for her dancing and audience support. She later said the show's inclusion of same-sex couples did not match what she viewed as its family audience. She then joined Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2019 to 2020.
Following the announcement of her death, before details of the murder probe were made public, tributes came from former colleagues across both the Conservative Party and Reform UK. Farage said she "played a decisive role in getting Brexit over the line," while former Prime Minister Boris Johnson called her "a heroic Brexiteer" and "a great speaker" whom he said would be difficult to follow.
(Source: RTHK)
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