Police investigating 'murder' of former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe

Police have launched a murder investigation after the death of former MP and minister Ann Widdecombe.

The ex-Tory prisons minister, who was 78, later became a Brexit Party MEP and subsequently a Reform UK spokeswoman.

She also found fame outside politics after starring in Strictly Come Dancing.

Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed a murder investigation has been launched following the suspicious death.

She was found dead within the property after police were called to an address at Haytor by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday. She had sustained serious injuries.

Her next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Detectives from the Force Major Crime Investigation Team believe the person responsible to be a white male.

A cordon remains in place at the property while specialist officers continue forensic examinations. There are road closures in place around the scene.

The public will see a significant police presence in the area today while detectives and officers conduct house-to-house and CCTV enquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector Ilona Rosson said: “This is an extremely tragic incident and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this difficult time.

“Our murder enquiry is in its early stages but moving at a significant pace. We are deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened and to locate the person responsible who we believe to be a white male.

“I would appeal to anyone who may have information about this incident, however insignificant it may seem, to come forward and speak with us.

“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the vicinity of Haytor Vale, Haytor, or anyone with CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage which could assist with our investigation.

“We have an increased uniformed police presence in the area to both support the investigation and provide reassurance to residents. Anyone with concerns can speak with our officers at the scene.

“We will release further information when we are able to do so. In the meantime I would ask people not to speculate about what might have happened, particularly on social media. This is not only potentially harmful to our investigation but also deeply distressing for family and friends of Ann Widdecombe.”

A spokesman for the coroner’s office for the county of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay said: “Preliminary inquiries are ongoing.”

Ms Widdecombe, who appeared on Talk Radio on Wednesday, lived in Haytor, near Newton Abbott in Devon.

She 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.

She famously clashed with her Conservative colleague Michael Howard, when she was a Home Office minister and he home secretary, describing him as having “something of the night about him”.

Miss Widdecombe also faced flak for defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to their beds.

Her management team, Cloud9 Management, said they were “absolutely devastated” by the news the police had launched a murder investigation into her death.

The statement said: “We are absolutely devastated by this news following a very traumatic and upsetting 24 hours.

“We fully support the police in their investigations and we reiterate the family’s desire not to be contacted at this difficult time. We implore anyone who may have relevant information to contact Devon & Cornwall Police.”

Speaking to reporters at Chequers, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was important to “rise above any political differences” and focus on catching Ann Widdecombe’s killer.

He 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 for them.

“Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.

“I’ve spoken to the chief constable this afternoon about the details and I think this is really important that this is a moment where we rise above any political differences, the political divide and say the single most important thing at the moment is that all of us and the public help the police identify the individual suspected and make sure he’s arrested as quickly as possible.

“He’s clearly dangerous, and I implore everybody who’s got any information in relation to him to help the police with their inquiries, get him into police custody.”