Killing of former UK minister Ann Widdecombe being investigated as terror — police

By AP 13 July 2026, 4:13 pm

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Ann Widdecombe, Brexit Party member, is interviewed by Nigel Farage on stage in London, on November 22, 2019. (AP Photo/ Kirsty Wigglesworth)

The killing of former British politician Ann Widdecombe is being investigated as a terrorist act, police say.

A 28-year-old man in custody on suspicion of murder was rearrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, Counter Terrorism Policing South East say.

Devon and Cornwall Police originally said the killing was not believed to be a terror-related crime and there was nothing to suggest it was politically motivated.

“We now have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is now leading the investigation,” head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, says. “We are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack.”

Widdecombe, 78, a former member of Parliament, was found dead last week in her isolated rural home in a southwest England village. Police did not disclose a cause of death, saying only that she had sustained “serious injuries.”

The death sent shock waves through British politics, where Widdecombe had been a prominent voice for decades, known for her robust personality and socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

The suspect, who has not been named because he hasn’t been charged, was arrested Saturday in South Yorkshire county in northern England, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the village of Haytor on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, where Widdecombe was found dead Thursday.