Police investigate murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe in Devon

Devon and Cornwall Police opened a murder investigation after Ann Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor at about 11.40am on Thursday, 9 July 2026. The 78-year-old had serious injuries, and officers said the death was being treated as suspicious.

The inquiry quickly widened. Police arrested a 26-year-old white British man, and Counter Terrorism Policing took over the case, although investigators said it was not being treated as terror-related and there was no indication of a political motive. The arrest and the shift to specialist counter-terror officers gave the case an urgency that went beyond a single suspicious death, especially given Widdecombe’s long public profile.

Widdecombe spent 23 years in the House of Commons, representing Maidstone and The Weald from 1987 until 6 May 2010. After leaving Westminster, she became a Brexit Party MEP and later a Reform UK voice, while also remaining visible on television, including through her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. Downing Street said Keir Starmer was saddened by her death.

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, made a statement to Parliament on 13 July 2026 about the death and the security response. The Home Office said it works with the Parliamentary Security Department to provide practical advice and support directly to MPs, a reminder that concern over the safety of elected figures now extends to current and former members alike.

Widdecombe’s public identity had long stretched beyond party politics. She was known for her uncompromising moral views and her move from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism, and her later turn as a TV personality made her one of the most recognisable former MPs of her generation. That combination of Westminster, broadcasting and party politics helped turn the case into a national story from the moment detectives arrived in Devon.