UK police launch murder investigation following death of former minister Widdecombe

LONDON, July 10 - British police said they had launched a murder investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe, a 78-year-old former government minister whose death was announced earlier on Friday.

Widdecombe was a Conservative member of parliament between 1987 and 2010, and held several junior ministerial positions in former prime minister John Major's government.

"Our murder enquiry is in its early stages but moving at a significant pace," Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement.

"We are deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened and to locate the person responsible who we believe to be a white male."

Police said they were called to Widdecombe's address around midday on Thursday where she was found to have died and sustained serious injuries. Forensic examinations were continuing at the property, they added.

Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said in a post on X that she was deeply saddened and described the circumstances of the death as "extremely distressing".

Two serving British members of parliament have been murdered in the last decade.

The Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a Nazi-obsessed loner during the Brexit campaign in 2016. The Conservative lawmaker David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021 by a man inspired by the militant group, Islamic State.

WIDDECOMBE KNOWN FOR SOCIALLY CONSERVATIVE VIEWS

Throughout her political career, Widdecombe was known for her socially conservative views, including opposition to abortion and to equalising the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual relationships.

She also defended a policy of shackling pregnant prisoners during child birth to prevent their escape.

Although unmarried and a self-proclaimed virgin, the Catholic convert praised family values.

After leaving parliament, she appeared on the TV talent show "Strictly Come Dancing" in 2010. Despite her awkward dancing style and criticism from the judges, she was popular with viewers.

She later joined Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and served as a member of the European Parliament between 2019 and 2020. Her most recent post was as immigration spokesperson for Reform UK, the rebranded Brexit Party, which leads in most opinion polls.

Following the announcement of her death, and before details of the murder inquiry were announced, former colleagues from both the Conservative and Reform UK parties paid tribute to her.

Former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson described her in a post on X as "a heroic Brexiteer and a great speaker who could move Tory audiences to such ecstasy that she was a very hard act to follow." REUTERS