The investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s suspected killing has returned to a wider search after Devon and Cornwall Police released a 26-year-old man and confirmed he is no longer connected to the case.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
HAYTOR, England — Police investigating the suspected murder of veteran British politician Ann Widdecombe are again searching for those responsible after releasing the only person publicly known to have been arrested in connection with her death.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the 26-year-old man, described as a “white British national,” is no longer part of the investigation. He had been detained Friday only a few miles from Widdecombe’s rural home in Haytor, a village within Dartmoor National Park in Devon.
The release eliminated what had initially appeared to be an important lead and left detectives working to identify another suspect or suspects.
A police spokesman said the force’s priority remains “identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined.”
“Detectives continue to carry out numerous inquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident,” the spokesman said.
Widdecombe, a former member of Parliament, government minister and member of the European Parliament who most recently served as Reform UK’s immigration and justice spokesman, was found dead at her home Thursday morning. She had suffered “serious injuries” reportedly consistent with being struck around the head.
Her property remained behind a police cordon as forensic teams and support vehicles continued operating at the scene. Detectives have described the inquiry as fast-moving and said “extensive enquiries” are underway.
Police sources cited in a report about the investigation said the suspected attacker may have been recorded by security cameras at Widdecombe’s residence. The property was not protected by a gate, her name was prominently displayed near the driveway, and its location and photographs were publicly available online.
Investigators are also examining Widdecombe’s communications and planned television appearances during the period before colleagues and relatives realized they could no longer reach her.
Widdecombe appeared on TalkTV on Wednesday morning, discussing what she characterized as political persecution and a Westminster establishment campaign against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
Later that day, she was scheduled to participate in another current affairs program, Channel 5’s “Matt Allwright.” Widdecombe exchanged telephone calls and direct messages with a producer around midday while preparing for the appearance, but then abruptly stopped responding.
Dan Walker of Channel 5 said Widdecombe’s unexplained absence prompted the program’s staff to contact her representative.
“Ann was due to appear on 5 Daytime on Wednesday afternoon, but stopped responding to messages and didn’t turn up for the show. The team contacted her agent to ask them to check in on her. This information has been passed to police as it’s part of the investigation,” Walker said.
According to the report, messages sent to Widdecombe began going unanswered at 12:19 p.m. An invitation asking her to connect remotely to the studio from her home computer received no response at 12:48 p.m.
Her failure to appear caused immediate concern because she was a frequent guest who was normally eager to participate.
“It was very strange that Ann wasn’t on. Nobody could understand it,” a source from the program said.
“She was usually very keen to be on and she is popular with viewers. The producers couldn’t get a hold of her… There was some fear that she’d had a medical incident, or maybe needed someone to check on her, but nobody thought she might be dead.”
After relatives and colleagues were repeatedly unable to contact Widdecombe, a neighbor was asked to check on her. She was subsequently discovered dead inside the house Thursday morning.
A social media post reporting the developing investigation, also displayed through an embedded post page, circulated as police continued searching the property and surrounding area.
At a Friday evening news conference, Devon and Cornwall Police emphasized that the investigation remained in its early stages. The force said detectives were keeping an open mind about why Widdecombe was attacked.
Police said they had not identified evidence at that stage establishing a political motive, but they also had not ruled one out. Asked whether Widdecombe could have been killed during a burglary that went wrong, police again said investigators were maintaining an “open-minded” position.
Widdecombe had spent decades as a nationally recognized political and media figure. In addition to her parliamentary career, she made frequent appearances on British daytime television and participated in popular reality programs that expanded her public profile beyond politics.
Farage responded to her death Friday evening by calling Widdecombe an “extraordinary woman” and “without doubt the best-known female politician in Britain since Margaret Thatcher.”
In his recorded tribute, which was also presented through an embedded social media page, Farage reflected on Widdecombe’s years in public life and the violent circumstances of her death.
“Frankly, this was someone who gave her life to public service, to fighting for the things that she believed in. She herself would not have harmed a fly and I am deeply, deeply upset by the nature of her death,” Farage said.
Farage, who is himself reported to receive death threats daily, has faced public scrutiny over how the cost of his personal security has been covered. He said Widdecombe’s suspected killing illustrated the dangers facing prominent political figures.
He described the death as a “terrible reflection on modern Britain.”
“I do fear that for anybody in public life or especially the political space, things have become even more dangerous today,” Farage said.
Widdecombe’s political career began taking shape during the 1980s, when the dedicated Christian co-founded and led Women and Families for Defence. The organization was created to counter left-wing groups campaigning against nuclear weapons.
She was later elected to Parliament as a Conservative during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership and went on to serve as a government minister.
Widdecombe became known for firmly held socially conservative positions on issues including homosexuality, abortion, assisted suicide and capital punishment. She was also a committed supporter of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.
She eventually left the Conservative Party following its movement toward the political center during Prime Minister David Cameron’s leadership. Widdecombe later joined Farage’s Brexit Party and served with him in the European Parliament during Britain’s final year as an EU member.
After the Brexit Party’s transition into Reform UK, Widdecombe was appointed the party’s spokesman on immigration and justice.
Detectives have not publicly identified another suspect following the release of the 26-year-old man. Police have also not announced a confirmed motive or disclosed the full range of evidence recovered from Widdecombe’s home.
The residence remains an active crime scene as investigators examine forensic material, security footage, digital communications and Widdecombe’s final known interactions in an effort to reconstruct what happened before she was found dead.
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