Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and prominent spokeswoman for the Reform UK party, was killed in what police are describing as a "targeted attack" at her home in Devon. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, stated that investigators are working to understand the motive behind the incident.
The body of Widdecombe, 78, was discovered on Thursday, July 9, at her residence in Haytor. Police believe the attack occurred the previous day, and she had sustained serious injuries. Detectives obtained a warrant under the Terrorism Act to detain a 28-year-old suspect, arrested in Rotherham, for up to seven days. The suspect was initially arrested on suspicion of murder before being re-arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Counter-terrorism police are conducting an investigation in parallel with the murder inquiry. Taylor noted that while the killing has not yet been declared a terrorist incident, it is clearly a targeted attack. Investigators are examining multiple lines of inquiry, including digital forensic examinations, and are looking into Widdecombe's appearance on Talk TV on the morning she was killed as part of the investigation. The possibility of other Reform UK figures being targeted has not been commented on. The suspect, a 28-year-old white British man, was arrested on Saturday, July 11, in Rotherham. He had previously been arrested on July 10 and released. The distance between Rotherham and Haytor is approximately 263 miles.