MURDER INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED AFTER ANN WIDDECOMBE FOUND DEAD AT DARTMOOR HOME
Devon and Cornwall Police say their inquiry is “moving at a significant pace” after the former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman, 78, was found with serious injuries at her home in Haytor on Thursday. Detectives are hunting a white male in connection with her death.
WHAT WE KNOW
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed on Friday afternoon that a murder investigation has been launched following the death of Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative MP and minister who went on to become a Brexit Party MEP and Reform UK’s justice spokeswoman. She was 78.
Officers were called to an address in Haytor, on Dartmoor, by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday 9 July. Widdecombe was found dead within the property, having sustained serious injuries. Her next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.
Detectives from the force’s Major Crime Investigation Team have launched a murder inquiry, given the operational name Hunlen, and are carrying out house-to-house and CCTV enquiries. A cordon remains in place at the property, with road closures around the scene while forensic examinations continue and an increased police presence is maintained in the area.
POLICE STATEMENT
Detective Chief Inspector Ilona Rosson said the force was deploying all necessary resources to establish what happened and to trace the person responsible, “who we believe to be a white male”. She described the case as an “extremely tragic incident”, and appealed for anyone with information, including CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage from the Haytor Vale area, to come forward.
Police have asked the public not to speculate about what might have happened, particularly on social media, warning this could be harmful to the investigation and distressing for Widdecombe’s family and friends. A Major Incident Public Portal has been set up for information, and the public can also call 101 quoting the reference for Operation Hunlen.
A spokesperson for the coroner’s office for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay said preliminary inquiries were ongoing.
POLITICAL REACTION
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” by the news, calling the circumstances “extremely distressing”. She confirmed she had spoken to the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police and said the Home Office stood ready to support the investigation, adding: “I urge everyone to avoid speculation and allow the police investigation to progress.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who sat alongside Widdecombe as a Brexit Party MEP before she joined his party in 2023, paid tribute to her as “an absolute force of nature”, saying she had never left anyone in doubt where she stood. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she struggled to find the words, adding that she did not “understand how someone could do something so horrific to an elderly person.”
Widdecombe’s management firm, Cloud9, said the team was “absolutely devastated by this news following a very traumatic and upsetting 24 hours,” and urged anyone with information to contact police.
WHO WAS ANN WIDDECOMBE
Widdecombe was Conservative MP for Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, from 1987 to 2010, holding junior ministerial posts under John Major including at the Home Office. She was a hardline voice on law and order, backing the reintroduction of the death penalty for some crimes, and was criticised during her time as a minister for defending the practice of chaining pregnant prisoners to their beds. As shadow home secretary she memorably described her Conservative colleague Michael Howard as having “something of the night about him.”
A committed Eurosceptic, she backed Vote Leave in the 2016 referendum, defected to the Brexit Party in 2019 and served as an MEP for South West England until 2020. She joined Reform UK in 2023 and appeared at its conference the following year as the party’s immigration spokesperson, having most recently held the justice brief.
Widdecombe was also a committed Christian who opposed LGBT equality legislation, was anti-abortion and opposed assisted dying. She became a familiar face beyond Westminster through Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, partnered with Anton du Beke, and a runner-up appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
No arrest has been made and police have not disclosed a motive. The investigation remains at an early stage. Anyone with information is asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police via the Major Incident Public Portal or on 101, quoting Operation Hunlen.
UPDATE
- A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of Ann Widdecombe, police say
- Devon and Cornwall Police say a white British male is in custody after the 78-year-old was found at her home on Thursday with serious injuries
- The incident is not being treated as terrorism and there is “no information” to suggest it was politically motivated, they add
- Police say it is too early to comment on whether the suspect was known to Widdecombe
- PM Keir Starmer says the murder investigation is “shocking news”, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says she is “stunned” over the “horrific” incident
- Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister turned Reform UK spokeswoman, served as the MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years
The Heartlands Tribune will update this report as the investigation develops.
Sources: Devon and Cornwall Police / ITV News; LBC; RTE; The Irish Times.
