'Abject terror' of murdered Ann Widdecombe: Family's shock as police arrest 26-year-old man after ex-MP is found covered in blood with head wound at Dartmoor house

By REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR Published: 23:01, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 23:19, 10 July 2026 The family of Ann Widdecombe spoke on Friday night of their shock at her brutal murder. They feared the 78-year-old former Tory minister spent her last moments in ‘abject terror’ when an intruder broke into her home. Ms Widdecombe was found covered in blood after being battered to death by a lone male attacker at her remote Devon home, police believe. Detectives were last night questioning a 26-year-old suspect over the killing. The white British man was held a few miles away in Newton Abbot hours after news of the murder investigation was made public. Police launched a manhunt when the former prisons minister was found with ‘serious injuries’ at her Dartmoor home by a gardener on Thursday. Fears for her wellbeing had been raised after she failed to turn up for a TV appearance. The unmarried former MP, who had lived alone since her retirement in 2010, was last seen during an interview on Talk TV at around 8am the previous day. She had been scheduled to appear on Jeremy Vine’s Channel 5 show later that morning but failed to appear. Her family became worried when they were unable to raise her on the phone. Police were called around 11.40am on Thursday after the gardener discovered her body in the kitchen of the bungalow in Haytor. Last night, as officers were trying to establish the motive for the murder, a source close to the family said: ‘We’re in total shock and disbelief. It was hard enough to find out we’d lost Ann – but we still have yet to come to terms with the fact that she died in such brutal circumstances. Perhaps we never will. The family of Ann Widdecombe (pictured at her home) spoke on Friday night of their shock at her brutal murder They feared the 78-year-old former Tory minister spent her last moments in ‘abject terror’ when an intruder broke into her home (pictured) Your browser does not support iframes. ‘She was a little, frail old lady. What we find most difficult of all is that she must have been in abject terror for the last minutes of her life.’ Police have not said whether any weapon was used and it is believed that nothing had been taken from the property. When the death of the well-known politician turned TV star – who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother – was first announced, her management team gave no suggestion of foul play. But, as revealed on dailymail.com, Devon and Cornwall Police had launched a murder investigation, with officers swarming over the property. Ms Widdecombe had numerous surveillance cameras around her home, which may have assisted officers in detecting the suspect so quickly. In an interview last year, when asked about her own security, she joked: ‘I’ve never gone in for the big gates and the electronics and all that nonsense. ‘Anybody could come in and steal a gnome [but] I would pick them up on my cameras so if anybody wants to steal a gnome they’d better mask up.’ It was a typically no-nonsense attitude to her own safety from an MP who said that during her political career she would even ‘bin’ death threats from the IRA. The redoubtable politician was a permanent fixture in British public life thanks to her long career as a no-nonsense, tough-talking figure on the Right. She was a Conservative MP between 1987 and 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, and held several ministerial positions in John Major’s government. Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said the case was ‘not being treated as terrorism’ and there was ‘no information’ at this time to suggest it was a politically motivated crime. The unmarried former MP, who had lived alone since her retirement in 2010, was last seen during an interview on Talk TV at around 8am the previous day Detectives are now working to establish if there had been any prior contact between the suspect and victim. He said: ‘This is an extremely tragic incident. Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Miss Widdecombe in this very difficult time.’ The senior officer said police remain ‘open-minded’ about the motive for the attack when asked whether it may have been a burglary gone wrong.’ The former Tory minister, known for opposing abortion and gay rights, was a regular target for Left-wing campaigners and activists, who disagreed with her forthright, socially conservative views. But the 78-year-old Brexiteer and devout Catholic refused to be cowed by terrorists – even after the murder of fellow MP and ‘best friend in Parliament,’ Sir David Amess. Asked last October whether she ever feared being physically attacked because of her beliefs and high profile, Ms Widdecombe said defiantly: ‘No.’ ‘I took a very robust attitude,’ she said. ‘In my day, it was the IRA and I suppose I had a slightly faithless attitude. ‘I remember I used to get death threats from time to time. We all did, and my staff would say, “Shall we tell the police?” ‘I’d say, “Put it in the bin,” because if the IRA are going to do it, they’re not going to tell you in advance, they’re just going to do it. As they did with Airey Neave [assassinated in a 1979 car bomb]. ‘I still take that attitude. I do know that we’re in a slightly different world but I think it’s crucial that MPs and their constituents intermingle freely.’ She said Sir David, 69, who was stabbed to death by Islamic State fanatic Ali Harbi Ali while holding a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in October 2021, agreed with her. ‘I knew him terribly well, and his family, of course,’ she added. ‘I know, and I said this to his widow, who agreed with me, that he would never want his death used as a reason to distance MPs from their constituents. ‘His belief, and it is still my belief, that an MP should be able to walk through the town on a Saturday afternoon, talk to their constituents. I feel very strongly about that.’ Police outside the house of Ann Widdecombe in Haytor in Dartmoor Ms Widdecombe was known for opposing the legality of abortion, issues surrounding LGBT+ rights and for supporting the reintroduction of the death penalty. Her ‘Passion for Life’ tour, in 2008, during which she spoke against amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which reduced barriers for same-sex couples to be recognised on a birth certificate, saw her regularly heckled by protesters who staged demonstrations against her pro-life views.  During her political career, she did not once vote in favour of gay rights – opposing significant acts of legislation like civil partnerships, repealing Section 28, the Equality Act, reducing the age of consent for homosexual sex, and gay couples adopting. Ms Widdecombe was never physically attacked for her beliefs, although in April 2000, while shadow home secretary, she was hit in the face with a custard pie during a book signing.  However, after wiping the custard off her face in a toilet, she carried on, saying: ‘This demonstration was a mindless waste of police time carried out by people who clearly have no respect for free speech.’  After more than two decades as a Tory MP, she became a Brexit Party MEP and joined Reform UK in 2023 – appearing on TV to back Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election just two days ago. Last night MPs and celebrities paid tribute. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said her murder was a ‘terrible reflection on modern Britain’. He said: ‘Our nation is a much, much poorer place without her. Reform UK is certainly a much worse place without her. I was expecting to see her in Clacton over the course of the next few days. Sadly, that is not going to happen.’ Sir Keir Starmer urged people to ‘come together’ across political divides following the murder. He said: ‘This is really shocking news, and my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this awful time for them. ‘Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.’ Conservative leader Mrs Badenoch said: ‘I don’t understand how someone could do something so horrific to an elderly person. It was a nasty, horrific attack and my heart is breaking for her family.’ Former Tory leader Boris Johnson called on the police to provide answers: ‘Sadness at the death of Ann Widdecombe now turning to anger and bewilderment at the news that she seems to have been murdered. We need the facts as fast as we can.’ Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: ‘I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Ann Widdecombe. The circumstances of her death are extremely distressing.’ Anton du Beke, her partner on Strictly who famously dragged across the floor, added: ‘She became a real friend. She was fun. She was upbeat. She was positive. She was supportive.“We had an incredible time together and we stayed firm friends. ‘My thoughts go out to all of her nearest and dearest and all her family. This is a sad day and I’m devastated by the news of Ann’s passing but I shall remember her fondly, and miss her. Ms Widdecombe’s management team, Cloud9 Management, said: ‘We are absolutely devastated by this news following a very traumatic and upsetting 24 hours.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.