Widdecombe death investigation reignites row over Farage security protection

Counter Terrorism Policing took over the investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death after police said fresh evidence changed the direction of the case. The move, disclosed to MPs in the Commons, has sharpened a separate argument over whether Nigel Farage has been given the protection Reform UK says he needs.

Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons that the case had initially not been treated as terror-related, before police later concluded there was enough new information to change course. Lindsay Hoyle warned MPs not to speculate about the motive or the identity of the arrested person, even as the wider political fallout spread through Westminster.

Robert Jenrick used the BBC Radio 4 Today programme to accuse the government of moving too slowly on Farage’s protection. He said Farage had initially been given a “comprehensive plan” before the arrangements were downgraded, and argued that the Home Office should have offered Farage a meeting with RAVEC, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, much earlier. Jenrick also said the government had only arranged the meeting “as a result of Ann Widdecombe’s appalling murder”.

Farage is now set to meet the chair of RAVEC, the committee responsible for security arrangements for royalty and high-profile public figures. Reform UK had previously turned down a taxpayer-funded package that would have included a bodyguard, a car and a trained driver, which Farage judged to be a downgrade from the protection he had received before. He thanked the Home Secretary on X and said he would discuss the security of all Reform politicians, including those not in Parliament. Reform UK said its MPs were receiving 24-hour security after Widdecombe’s death.

The dispute has revived a broader debate over political violence and how Parliament protects those in public life. Jo Cox was murdered in 2016 and Sir David Amess was murdered in 2021, and Parliament’s Speaker’s Conference has said those killings, along with planned attacks only prevented by chance and diligent work, threaten the health of democracy. In response to the Amess killing, the Conservative government announced a £31 million security package for MPs in May 2024, while the Home Office has also said MPs can receive bespoke threat advice and other protective support. Mahmood told the Commons that Widdecombe’s death raised wider questions about the safety of former MPs and politicians from smaller parties, including those no longer in Parliament.