UK police open murder probe into death of Reform UK's Ann Widdecombe
Police in Britain have launched a murder investigation after finding politician Ann Widdecombe dead with serious injuries in her home. They said nothing about a
Police in Britain have launched a murder investigation after finding politician Ann Widdecombe dead with serious injuries in her home. They said nothing about a potential motive or backdrop for the crime at first. Authorities are investigating possible murder in the death of Ann Widdecombe, police in southwest England announced on Friday, a few hours after news of the once-prominent politician being found dead emerged. A Conservative government minister in the 1990s known for her sharp tongue, Widdecombe became an ally of right-wing populist Nigel Farage later in her political career. What did police say about the case? Police said nothing initially about a potential motive or backdrop in the nascent case.
"Our murder enquiry is in its early stages but moving at a significant pace," Detective Chief Inspector Ilona Rosson said. "We are deploying all necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened and to locate the person responsible who we believe to be a white male." Police said they were called to Widdecombe's address in Dartmoor in Devon around midday on Thursday where she was found to have died having "sustained serious injuries." Rosson appealed to anyone with information to come forward, "however insignificant" it might seem. "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," Rosson said.
Rosson said police would release further information as soon as possible. "In the meantime I would ask people not to speculate about what might have happened, particularly not on social media," she said. "This is not only potentially harmful to our investigation but also deeply distressing for family and friends of Ann Widdecombe." Who was Ann Widdecombe? Widdecombe, 78, was a former government minister and Conservative member of parliament from 1987 until 2010, who held ministerial positions in John Major's government in the 1990s. A prominent supporter of Brexit, she became closely tied to Nigel Farage in later life, first joining the now-defunct Brexit Party and later moving to Farage's latest party, Reform UK.
She was serving as the right-wing populist party's immigration and justice spokeswoman. More to follow... Edited by: Natalie Muller Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button, so you'll always see our verified news first.
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