Former British MP and reality TV star Ann Widdecombe found dead; man arrested for murder

A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a former British member of Parliament and reality TV contestant, police said.

Widdecombe, 78, was found dead Thursday in her home on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in southwest England. Authorities said she died of serious injuries, Reuters reported.

The name of the suspect has not been released.

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"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," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. "Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss."

Investigators don't believe the killing was politically motivated, Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said.

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

Starmer said the security of lawmakers was "of the utmost importance," and urged people to rise above political differences.

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Widdecombe served in Parliament, but found fame after leaving office as a contestant on the Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother reality television shows. She later joined the Brexit Party and became a spokeswoman for the anti-mass migration Reform UK party.

In a post on X, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Widdecombe "a heroic Brexiteer and a great speaker who could move Tory audiences to such ecstasy that she was a very hard act to follow."

Cloud9 Management, which represented Widdecombe for more than a decade, said her life was driven by her "strong Christian values and commitment to public service."

"He loved the cut and thrust of political debate and, 16 years after leaving Parliament, was still actively campaigning for Reform UK and offering forthright views on the hot topics of the day across numerous radio and television programmes (sic). Ann was a valued patron of many causes, particularly her animal charities," the company said in a social media post.

In the past decade, two serving British members of parliament have ​been murdered.

In the midst of the Brexit campaign of 2016, Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a Nazi-obsessed loner. Conservative lawmaker David Amess was fatally stabbed in 2021 by a man inspired by the ‌Islamic State terror group.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.