UK police say former politician and TV personality Ann Widdecombe was
killed in ‘targeted attack’
[July 15, 2026]
By BRIAN MELLEY
LONDON (AP) — Former politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe
was killed in a “targeted attack,” though the motivation is still under
investigation, British counterterror police said Tuesday.
A 28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder and terror crimes
remains in custody on an extended detention warrant under the Terrorism
Act that allows police to question him for up to another week.
“It is clear that this was a targeted attack,” Laurence Taylor, head of
National Counter Terrorism Policing told reporters. “We are still
working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation, and the
motivation that sits behind that attack.”
The death of Widdecombe, 78, a former member of Parliament, shocked the
British political establishment, where she was long known for
blunt-spoken socially conservative views opposing abortion and the
expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.
Counterterror police took over the investigation Monday after new
evidence was discovered. Devon and Cornwall Police have been criticized
for originally saying the killing was not believed to be a
terror-related crime and there was nothing to suggest it was politically
motivated.
Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez
defended her agency Tuesday, saying new information often changes the
nature of a fast-paced investigation.
Police believe Widdecombe was attacked on Wednesday just past noon. She
failed to show up for a scheduled TV interview about an hour later and
was found dead the next day in her isolated rural home in a village in
southwest England.
Police did not disclose a cause of death, saying only that she had
sustained “serious injuries.” Taylor called it a “brutal attack on a
78-year-old lady in her own home.”
The suspect was arrested Saturday in South Yorkshire county in northern
England, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the village of Haytor
on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, where Widdecombe died.
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Ann Widdecombe, Brexit Party member, is interviewed after Nigel
Farage, Leader of Britain's Brexit Party, spoke on stage at the
launch of their policies for the General Election campaign, in
London, Nov. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
Police have conducted extensive searches at his home and Taylor said
they found evidence of planning, but he declined to provide details.
The man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of murder, but additional
evidence found while he was in custody led police to rearrest him on
suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of
terrorism.
The suspect has not been named because he has not been charged.
Widdecombe was in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, serving in
roles including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s
1990s Conservative government.
She found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the
reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big
Brother.”
She later joined the Brexit Party, briefly serving as a member of
the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in
2020. Most recently, she joined the anti-immigration Reform UK
party, often appearing in the media as a spokesperson.
The killing renewed concerns for politicians about security, which
was tightened in the past decade after the murders of two serving
members of Parliament. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed
in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was
stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.
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