A long-serving politician with a showbiz career: Who was Ann Widdecombe?published at 16:13 BST
16:13 BST
Image source, ReutersImage caption,
Widdecombe speaking at a Brexit party rally in 2019
Widdecombe was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1947 and went on to study Latin at Birmingham University, then philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.
Ann Widdecombe’s political career spanned several decades, having served as a Tory MP for Maidstone in Kent from 1987 to 2010.
She worked as a Home Office and employment minister in Sir John Major’s government between 1994 to 1997.
After leaving Parliament she appeared on various prime-time television shows, appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
A staunch supporter of the UK’s departure from the EU, she became an MEP for the Brexit Party, representing South West England in the European Parliament between 2019-2020.
In 2023, she joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, after the party changed its name from the Brexit Party, where she served as immigration and justice spokesperson.