Ann Widdecombe
Ann Widdecombe

British counter-terrorism police have taken over the investigation into the suspected murder of former UK lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, officials announced Monday, after new information and evidence emerged in what had initially been treated as a standard homicide case with no apparent political motive.

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed the shift in the investigation Monday, saying counter-terrorism police were now leading the case "following new information and evidence." Police had previously said there was nothing to suggest Widdecombe's killing was an act of terrorism or politically motivated. Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said the investigation remained in an active, developing phase. "We now have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is now leading the investigation," Taylor said. "We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack. Our priority is progressing this investigation quickly, with all the capabilities we have available to us. If anyone has any information, please share it with the police." Taylor added, "We would like to thank local communities, the wider public and the media for their ongoing support and patience, and would ask them to continue to support us in the next stage of the investigation."

Widdecombe, 78, was found dead last Thursday at her isolated rural home in Haytor, a village in Devon in southwest England. Police believe she was attacked around 12:30 p.m. the previous day, Wednesday, with concerns first raised after she failed to appear for a scheduled television interview that afternoon. Her body was discovered the following morning.

The investigation initially moved through Devon and Cornwall Police's Major Crime Investigation Team. An unnamed 26-year-old man was arrested Friday in connection with the killing but was later released and is no longer considered a suspect, according to a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police. On Saturday, police arrested a second suspect, a 28-year-old man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, hundreds of miles from the crime scene, on suspicion of murder. According to a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police, the arrest was carried out on their behalf by Counter Terrorism Policing North East and South Yorkshire Police. At that stage, police said, "there is nothing to suggest that it was politically motivated."

That assessment changed by Monday. Following the emergence of new information and evidence, Counter Terrorism Policing South East formally took over leadership of the investigation, with the man already in custody rearrested on suspicion of "commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism." In a statement, the counter-terrorism unit said it "will continue to work closely with colleagues from the Devon and Cornwall Police Major Crime Investigation Team and across the Counter Terrorism Policing network in an effort to establish the full circumstances of the incident which led to this murder investigation." Police have not publicly disclosed the specific nature of the new evidence that prompted the shift, nor detailed a potential motive for the attack.

Widdecombe's death and the subsequent investigation have sent shock waves through British politics, where she had remained a prominent and often outspoken public figure for decades. First elected to the House of Commons in 1987 representing Maidstone, Widdecombe served in Parliament until 2010, holding ministerial roles including prisons minister under Prime Minister John Major's Conservative government during the 1990s. After leaving Parliament, she found renewed public fame as a contestant on British reality television programs including "Strictly Come Dancing" and "Celebrity Big Brother."

Widdecombe later shifted her political affiliation, joining the Brexit Party and briefly serving as a member of the European Parliament from 2019 to 2020, ahead of the United Kingdom's formal departure from the European Union. Most recently, she had aligned herself with Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, serving as the party's justice spokesperson since 2023 and appearing frequently in British media on the party's behalf. Colleagues and friends described a contrast between her famously combative public political style and a warmer, more good-humored personal demeanor.

Throughout her decades in public life, Widdecombe was widely known for her pro-life advocacy and consistent voting record on abortion-related legislation. According to the advocacy group Right to Life UK, Widdecombe had "a strong and consistent pro-life voting record" and was "a leader in the public fight for protections for unborn babies at the beginning of life and the elderly and vulnerable towards the end of life." The organization noted that as early as 1990, during a debate on the Abortion Act 1967, Widdecombe argued that abortion should not be treated as any other medical intervention and that existing legal protections for unborn babies should not be further eroded. In 2008, the group noted, she voted in favor of a series of amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, including a measure that would have lowered the abortion limit for procedures performed under Section 1(1)(a) of the Abortion Act to 12 weeks.

Home Secretary Mahmood said she planned to brief lawmakers directly in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon regarding the change in the investigation's leadership and the latest developments in the case. As of Monday, police had not released the identity of the man in custody publicly, nor confirmed additional details about the specific charges he may ultimately face beyond the current suspicion of involvement in acts of terrorism.

The investigation remains active, with Counter Terrorism Policing South East continuing to coordinate closely with Devon and Cornwall Police's Major Crime Investigation Team and the broader national Counter Terrorism Policing network as authorities work to establish the full circumstances surrounding Widdecombe's death. Police have continued to appeal to the public for any information relevant to the case as the investigation moves into what officials have described as its next stage.

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