Police release man arrested in Ann Widdecombe murder inquiry
Devon and Cornwall Police said a 26-year-old man arrested after Ann Widdecombe’s death has been freed and is no longer under investigation.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
British police have released a man arrested on suspicion of murdering former government minister Ann Widdecombe, saying he is no longer part of the case. Devon and Cornwall Police also said detectives now believe Widdecombe was killed the day before her body was found at her home in rural southwest England.
The force said the 26-year-old, described as a white British national, had been arrested on Friday in Newton Abbot, about 14.5 kilometres from Widdecombe’s home. He was freed on Saturday, police said.
According to Devon and Cornwall Police, officers believe Widdecombe, 78, was attacked at about 11:30 GMT on Wednesday. Ambulance workers called police to her home on Thursday, where she was found dead with serious injuries, the force said.
Police said they had found no evidence that the killing was linked to terrorism or driven by politics. The force said the suspect was believed to be a white male and that it did not believe there was a wider danger to the public.
Prominent conservative figure
Widdecombe was a former Conservative lawmaker and junior minister in John Major’s government between 1992 and 1997, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. She later became an immigration spokesperson for Reform UK, the far-right populist party led by Nigel Farage.
Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that Widdecombe was known for socially conservative positions. She converted to Catholicism partly in objection to the Church of England’s ordination of women as priests, opposed abortion, and objected to equalising the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual relationships.
She also defended shackling pregnant prisoners during childbirth as a way to prevent escape and described single mothers as poor role models, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. On one major issue, she differed from many Conservatives of her era: she opposed fox hunting with hounds.
News of Widdecombe’s death brought tributes from across British politics on Friday, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among those who paid tribute, as was Farage.
Farage described Widdecombe as “an extraordinary woman” in a video posted on X. “She stood up and fought for what she believed in – a devout Christian and somebody with strong, socially conservative views,” he said.
Recent attacks on politicians
Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that two sitting British members of parliament have been murdered in the past decade. Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 during the Brexit campaign by a man described as a Nazi-obsessed loner.
Conservative MP David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that his killer was inspired by the ISIL, also known as ISIS, group.
Police have not announced a new arrest in Widdecombe’s case. Devon and Cornwall Police said the man detained on Friday is no longer part of the investigation.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.