Man arrested after death of Ann Widdecombe in Devon

A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of former MP and government minister Ann Widdecombe in Devon. Police said Widdecombe, who was 78, was found with serious injuries at her home in Haytor, a rural village on Dartmoor, on Thursday morning. The arrest was made at an address in Newton Abbot on Friday, and the suspect remains in custody.

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Devon and Cornwall Police said the case is not being treated as terrorism. Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said officers currently have no information to suggest the crime was politically motivated, and it is too early to say whether the suspect knew Widdecombe. He said the investigation is at an early stage and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Widdecombe's next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. Police said they were called to the scene by the ambulance service, and the body was found at about 11:40 BST on Thursday. The location is a detached house in a rural area surrounded by fields and a few other homes.

The arrest in Newton Abbot came as officers continued their enquiries into the circumstances of the death. Counter-terror policing was involved in the initial phase of the investigation, but officers have since ruled out treating it as a terrorism case. The death has drawn a strong reaction from senior political figures in the UK.

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The prime minister said he was really shocked, while the Conservative leader said she was stunned by the news. The leader of Reform UK said he was deeply upset by the nature of Widdecombe's death. The response reflects Widdecombe's long public profile, which stretched from Parliament into later roles in politics and media.

Widdecombe served as MP for Maidstone for 23 years and was a Home Office and employment minister in Sir John Major's government between 1994 and 1997. After leaving Parliament, she appeared on television programmes including Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. She later became an MEP for the Brexit Party, representing South West England in the European Parliament between 2019 and 2020, before joining Reform UK in 2023 and appearing as a spokesperson on immigration and justice.

What remains unclear is the relationship, if any, between Widdecombe and the suspect, and the motive behind the killing. Police have said it is too early to draw conclusions, and the investigation is continuing. Officers are asking for information from the public as they work to establish exactly what happened at the Devon property.

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