Devon and Cornwall Police have initiated a formal murder investigation following the death of Ann Widdecombe, a 78-year-old former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman. Authorities discovered her body at her home in Haytor, a village on Dartmoor, on Thursday morning after responding to a call from the ambulance service. She was found with serious injuries.
The investigation is currently described as moving at a significant pace. Police are actively searching for a suspect, whom they believe to be a white male. Detective Chief Inspector Ilona Rosson stated that the incident is extremely tragic and noted that the force’s thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time. Investigators have appealed for anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the vicinity of Haytor or Haytor Vale, or anyone possessing relevant doorbell, dashcam, or CCTV footage, to come forward.
To support the ongoing inquiry and provide reassurance to the local community, additional uniformed officers have been deployed to the area. Her management team, which initially announced her death on Friday morning without disclosing details regarding the circumstances, later issued a follow-up statement expressing that they were absolutely devastated by the news of the murder investigation following a very traumatic and upsetting 24 hours.
Ann Widdecombe was born in 1947 in Bath, Somerset. She pursued an academic path at Birmingham University, where she studied Latin, before moving on to Oxford University to study philosophy, politics, and economics. Her extensive political career included serving as the MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years. Between 1994 and 1997, she held ministerial roles in the Home Office and employment department under the government of John Major.
Following her tenure in Parliament, Widdecombe transitioned into the entertainment industry, participating in Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. A prominent advocate for Brexit, she served as an MEP for the Brexit Party from 2019 to 2020. In 2023, she joined Reform UK—the rebranded version of the Brexit Party—where she frequently appeared as the party’s spokesperson for justice and immigration issues.
Widdecombe's management team then released another statement, saying they were "absolutely devastated" by news of the police investigation "following a very traumatic and upsetting 24 hours".
Extra uniformed officers will be in the area to help with enquires and to reassure residents, they added.
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