The man accused of murdering former UK lawmaker Ann Widdecombe has been charged with preparing acts of terror, including against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, British police said Friday.
Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, relating to activity which is alleged to have occurred between May 31, 2024 and July 8, 2026, Counter Terrorism Policing said.
Kerry was charged in with the murder of 78-year-old Widdecombe in late July. The Reform UK spokeswoman and former Conservative Member of Parliament was found dead at her home in southwest England earlier in the month. She had been struck 21 times with a hammer, a court previously heard.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said the charge on Friday was the result of a hugely intensive and complex investigation.”
Evans continued: “This investigation has been led by a dedicated team of detectives, analysts, and forensic experts, working on multiple lines of enquiry, which has resulted in this very serious charge.”
Chief Crown Prosecutor Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said they had “worked closely with police to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court, and we will continue working with them as their investigation progresses.”
Kerry is expected to make an appearance related to the terror charge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London next Wednesday.
Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon on July 9, with police saying at the time that she had sustained serious injuries. Prior to her work with Reform UK, she served as a Conservative MP for more than two decades.
Her death came against a backdrop of increased violence and heightened threat against lawmakers in Britain. She was the third British lawmaker to have been killed in recent years, following the murders of David Amess in 2021 and Jo Cox in 2016.
This story and headline has been updated with additional developments.