Man arrested for alleged murder of former UK minister Ann Widdecombe; terror not suspected

British police say a 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a 78-year-old former government minister.

Matt Longman, from Devon and Cornwall Police, says the suspect remains in custody and that the incident “is not being treated as terrorism” or politically motivated.

The former Conservative lawmaker and prisons minister had “sustained serious injuries” when she was found on Thursday at the property in Haytor, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, according to a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police.

“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 says. “Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.”

Widdecombe found fame after leaving Parliament 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-immigration Reform UK party.

She served in the House of Commons as an MP from 1987 to 2010 and was known for socially conservative views opposing abortion rights and expansion of LGBTQ rights. She was also a supporter of Israel.

Starmer won’t speculate if the killing was politically motivated and says the security of lawmakers is “of the utmost importance” as he urges people to rise above political differences and focus on catching the killer.

Security has been tightened for politicians after the murders of two serving members of Parliament in the past decade. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist amid the debate over Brexit, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson calls 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.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.