UK police have begun a murder investigation into the death of former MP and minister Ann Widdecombe.
The ex-Tory prisons minister, who was 78, later became a Brexit Party MEP and subsequently a Reform UK spokeswoman.
She also found fame outside politics after starring in Strictly Come Dancing.
“A murder investigation has been launched following the suspicious death of former MP Ann Widdecombe at her home on Dartmoor in Devon,” Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement.
Police were called to an address at Haytor in Devon by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday.
Det chief insp Ilona Rosson from Devon and Cornwall police said: “This is an extremely tragic incident and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this difficult time.
“Our murder enquiry is in its early stages but moving at a significant pace. 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.”
Widdecombe, who appeared on Talk radio on Wednesday, lived in Haytor, near Newton Abbott in Devon.
An earlier statement from Widdecombe’s management said: “It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, DSG.
“We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends.”
Widdecombe 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 former prime minister John Major’s government.
She famously clashed with her Conservative colleague Michael Howard, when she was a home office minister and he home secretary, describing him as having “something of the night about him”.
Widdecombe also faced criticism for defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to their beds.
A statement from her management company said she would be missed “greatly”.
It read: “Her life and career were driven by her strong Christian values and commitment to public service.
“She 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.
“Ann was a valued patron of many causes, particularly her animal charities.
“As Ann once said on The Graham Norton Show, ‘we get one go this side of eternity, one go. Life is not a dress rehearsal, you take opportunities that you like and you go for it, that’s my philosophy’.”
In her post-Commons career she appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 partnered with Anton du Beke and survived until the competition’s semi-finals thanks to the public vote.
Throughout her political career, Widdecombe was a prominent Eurosceptic and supported the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum.
She became a member of the Brexit Party from 2019 and served as an MEP representing South West England in Brussels between 2019 and 2020.
Widdecombe joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in 2023, the successor to the Brexit Party, and made an appearance at its party conference the following year as Reform’s immigration spokesperson.
She was also known for her socially conservative views, which included opposing the legality of abortion and widening rights for the LGBT community, during her Commons career. – PA