The suspect, a man who is a white British national and has not yet been named, is now in police custody, Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed after the former Tory minister was found dead at her home on Thursday
A 28-year-old man has been arrested in South Yorkshire on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdescombe, police have confirmed.
The suspect, a man who is a white British national and has not yet been named, is now in police custody, Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed after the former Tory minister was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor at about 11.40am on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries.
On Saturday night, in a statement Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We can confirm that a 28-year-old man was arrested at an address in the South Yorkshire area this evening (July 11) on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe. Miss Widdecombe’s family have been informed of this development.”
The force said earlier on Saturday it is believed Miss Widdecombe was attacked on Wednesday at about 12.30pm and had launched a murder investigation.
Here is all we know about the incident so far:
The time and place
The force said they were called to the 78-year-old’s home in Haytor at about 11.40am on Thursday by the ambulance service.
It said Miss Widdecombe was found dead inside at her home, having sustained “serious injuries”.
The police said they believe she was attacked much earlier than this though, and was believed to be first attacked on Wednesday, at around 12.30pm, nearly 24 hours before she was found.
Ms Widdecombe appeared on TalkTV on Wednesday morning, and was due to appear on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show after 1pm, but was a no show – despite being in contact with the show in the hour before – which raised an alarm.
WhatsApp messages published by ITV News show a conversation between Miss Widdecombe and a producer from the show on Wednesday.
She last sent a message at 12.19pm on Wednesday acknowledging she had received a Zoom link to appear on the programme, which read “Received! Panic Over!”
Miss Widdecombe did not respond to a message asking her to join the Zoom call at 12.48pm, and did not answer further calls or other messages attempting to contact her.
Mr Allwright then confirmed at 1.27pm live on air she was booked to appear on the show, but had not turned up.
The production team then followed up with Miss Widdecombe’s agent on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
Police probes
Initially after on the Friday, a 26-year-old white British man was arrested at an address in Newton Abbot on suspicion of the murder of Miss Widdecombe.
Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said the case was “not being treated as terrorism” and there was “no information” at this time to suggest it was a “politically-motivated crime”.
On Saturday morning, the police confirmed that the man has been released from custody and was no longer thought to be part of the investigation.
Mr Longman said the investigation was moving at a “significant pace” and appealed for anyone who may have information about the incident to come forward.
On Saturday night, the second arrest came and the man is believed to still be in police custody.
The 28-year-old suspect, a man who is a white British national and has not yet been named, is now in police custody, Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed
The victim
Miss Widdecombe was a Conservative MP between 1987 and 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, and held several ministerial positions in Sir John Major’s government.
In her post-Commons career, she appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, partnered with Anton du Beke, and reached the semi-finals thanks to the public vote.
She became a member of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party from 2019 and served as an MEP representing South West England in Brussels between 2019 and 2020.
Miss Widdecombe became immigration and justice spokeswoman for Mr Farage’s Reform UK and remained active in the media.
The murder fallout
In a statement on social media, Reform UK leader Mr Farage said the former MP’s death and the subsequent police murder investigation was a “terrible reflection on modern Britain”.
In a video statement published on social media, he added: “And I do fear that for anybody in public life, or especially the political space, things have become even more dangerous today.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged people to come together across political divides following the murder.
He said he had spoken to his likely successor, Andy Burnham, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Mr Farage to “urge everybody to come together at a moment like this”.
Conservative leader Mrs Badenoch said she “really struggled to find the words to say” following Miss Widdecombe’s death.
“I don’t understand how someone could do something so horrific to an elderly person.
“It was a nasty, horrific attack and my heart is breaking for her family,” she added.