Police investigating Ann Widdecombe’s death release man from custody

A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering former MP and MEP Ann Widdecombe has been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation, police said.

The ex-Tory prisons minister was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries.

Miss Widdecombe, 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 and Celebrity Big Brother.

On Saturday, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the man’s release from custody, following his arrest on Friday.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said: “Our 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.”

He said the investigation was “moving at a significant pace”, adding: “We are deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened.

“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 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 Miss Widdecombe. The family have also asked for their privacy to be respected as they come to terms with what has happened.

“We have set up a major incident public portal for information, images or footage to be submitted to us. This can be found on our website.

“Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers.”

Devon and Cornwall Police previously said the case of her death is “not being treated as terrorism” and there is “no information” at this time to suggest it was a “politically-motivated crime”.

Christine Maloney, who lives near Ann Widdecombe’s home in Haytor, said the area was “very safe” and it was not unusual for people to leave their cars and front doors unlocked.

She said of the former MP: “My husband saw her a week ago, driving around.

“I’m very shocked at (her death), it shouldn’t have happened, it’s horrific.

“Everyone knows that’s her house, perhaps that’s the problem?”

She added: “It’s got to be someone that’s local or knows her.

“Whoever did it, I think they should put him out for the locals to deal with him.”

Alison and Simon Gilbert, who have lived in Haytor Vale for more than a decade, said Miss Widdecombe was a well-known figure locally.

Mrs Gilbert said: “She was a nice woman, really nice woman, and she had a great sense of humour. It’s a lovely area – you talk to strangers.

“Everyone saw her as quite an opinionated politician, but to us she was just a person in the community.

“First of all, we got back and saw police and thought maybe it was a burglary, a lot of us suspected she had a heart attack or something.”

“She didn’t deserve to die like that,” Mr Gilbert added.

In a statement on social media, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the former MP and MEP’s death, and subsequent police murder investigation, were a “terrible reflection on modern Britain”.

In a video statement published on social media, he added: “And I do fear that for anybody in public life, or especially the political space, things have become even more dangerous today.”

https://x.com/Nigel_Farage/status/2075636082394177680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged people to come together across political divides following the murder.

He said he had spoken to his likely successor Andy Burnham, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Mr Farage to “urge everybody to come together at a moment like this”.

Conservative leader Mrs Badenoch said she “really struggled to find the words to say” following Miss Widdecombe’s death.

“I don’t understand how someone could do something so horrific to an elderly person. It was a nasty, horrific attack and my heart is breaking for her family,” she added.

Miss Widdecombe 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.

In her post-Commons career, she appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, partnered with Anton du Beke, and survived until the competition’s semi-finals thanks to the public vote.

She became a member of Mr Farage’s Brexit Party in 2019 and served as an MEP representing South West England in Brussels between 2019 and 2020.

She later became immigration and justice spokeswoman for Mr Farage’s Reform UK and remained active in the media – she appeared on TalkTV on Wednesday, the day before she was found dead.

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Miss Widdecombe was also due to be a guest on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show on Wednesday afternoon, but did not appear, as first reported by ITV.

She had exchanged messages with a researcher from the show, but did not respond when they tried to contact her to join a Zoom call from home.

Calls and texts sent after the programme aired remained unanswered, ITV said, and the Channel 5 show’s team followed up with her agent later on Wednesday and on Thursday.