New arrest in Ann Widdecombe murder probe as England celebrates Bellingham win

A fresh arrest on Saturday deepened the murder investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death after Devon and Cornwall Police said a 28-year-old man had been detained in South Yorkshire on suspicion of murder. The move came less than 24 hours after officers first arrested a 26-year-old man in Newton Abbot, then released him without charge.

Widdecombe, 78, was found with serious injuries at her home in Haytor, on Dartmoor in Devon. Police said the inquiry was moving at pace and that South Yorkshire Police carried out the arrest with support from Counter Terrorism Policing North East, a sign of the heightened concern around the case. Investigators believe Widdecombe may have been attacked nearly 24 hours before her body was discovered, and one report said officers were called to her home shortly after midday on Thursday, July 9.

The killing has quickly taken on wider political weight because of Widdecombe’s long public profile. She served as the Conservative MP for Maidstone from 1987 to 2010 and was part of John Major’s government before later becoming associated with the Brexit Party and Reform UK. Her name was also familiar far beyond Westminster, through television appearances including Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.

The case has sharpened security fears around Reform UK figures, with reports that some MPs were placed under 24-hour protection amid anxiety about copycat attacks. That backdrop has made the inquiry feel less like an isolated criminal case than a test of policing and public protection around a high-profile political figure.

The arrest landed on a day when another national story was giving England something else to talk about. Jude Bellingham scored twice, including the extra-time winner, as England beat Norway 2-1 in Miami Gardens on Saturday and reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2018.