British police announced Saturday that a 26-year-old man arrested as a suspect in the killing of Ann Widdecombe, a former member of Parliament, has been released and is no longer under investigation. Devon and Cornwall Police stated that detectives are continuing to pursue inquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
Widdecombe, 78, was discovered deceased on Thursday at her rural home in Haytor, located on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in southwest England. Concerns were raised for her welfare after she failed to attend a scheduled television interview on Wednesday. The suspect was apprehended on Friday in a nearby town.
Authorities have indicated that the killing is not believed to be an act of terror and that there is no current information to suggest it was politically motivated.
The death has sent ripples through the British political landscape, where Widdecombe was a recognizable figure known for her socially conservative stances on issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. She served as a Member of Parliament for the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, including a stint as prisons minister under Prime Minister John Major. After leaving Parliament, Widdecombe gained further public recognition as a contestant on reality television programs like "Strictly Come Dancing" and "Celebrity Big Brother." She later associated with the Brexit Party, briefly serving in the European Parliament, and more recently joined the anti-immigration Reform UK party.
Prominent political figures expressed their shock, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling the news "really shocking" and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch describing the incident as a "nasty, horrific attack." Reform UK leader Nigel Farage conveyed his deep distress, suggesting that the public sphere has become increasingly perilous for individuals in public life.
Security measures for politicians have been a subject of heightened attention in the UK following the murders of two Members of Parliament in recent years: Jo Cox in 2016 and David Amess in 2021.