The former minister is believed to have been assaulted on Wednesday, a full day before her remains were recovered.
By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters
Published On 11 Jul 2026
A suspect arrested in connection with the murder of former minister Ann Widdecombe has been released and is no longer under investigation, police said.
Investigators have indicated that the fatal attack occurred a day prior to the discovery of Widdecombe’s body at her residence in rural southwest England on Thursday.
Devon and Cornwall Police reported that a 26‑year‑old white British national was taken into custody in Newton Abbot, roughly 14.5 km (nine miles) from Widdecombe’s home, on Friday and subsequently released on Saturday.
Officers now believe the 78‑year‑old was assaulted on Wednesday at approximately 11:30 GMT, a day before emergency responders were alerted to her home, where she was discovered deceased with severe injuries.
Police stated that no evidence indicates the killing was linked to terrorism or motivated by politics.
They also indicated that the suspect is believed to be a white male and that there is no broader threat to the public.
Socially conservative views
Widdecombe was recognized for her socially conservative stance, having served as a junior minister under Prime Minister John Major from 1992 to 1997 and later as an immigration spokesperson for Nigel Farage’s far‑right populist Reform UK.
She converted to Catholicism in part as a protest against the Church of England’s decision to ordain women as priests, and she opposed both abortion and the equalisation of the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual relationships.
She also defended a policy of shackling pregnant prisoners during childbirth to prevent escapes and regarded single mothers as poor role models, though she was unusual among Conservative lawmakers in opposing fox hunting with hounds.
Her death prompted tributes on Friday from across the UK political spectrum, including from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage, who called her “an extraordinary woman”.
“She stood up and fought for what she believed in – a devout Christian and somebody with strong, socially conservative views,” Farage said in a video posted on his X account.
Two serving British members of parliament have been murdered in the last decade.
The Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a Nazi‑obsessed loner during the Brexit campaign in 2016.
The Conservative lawmaker David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021 by a man inspired by the ISIL (ISIS) group.