The investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative MP and MEP who became widely recognised well beyond politics, has taken a dramatic turn, with counter-terrorism officers now taking the lead. According to Counter Terrorism Policing South East, the 28-year-old man already in custody has been re-arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, after new information and evidence came to light during the inquiry into her death.
The shift marks a significant change in the direction of the case. According to the counter-terror force, specialist officers from across the Counter Terrorism Policing network had been working alongside Devon and Cornwall Police since the investigation was launched the previous week, and the emergence of new evidence during what was described as a dynamic and complex inquiry has now led Counter Terrorism Policing South East to take over as the force leading the case, while it continues to work with Devon and Cornwall Police to establish the full circumstances of her death.
The most significant early development had been a fresh arrest in the case. According to Devon and Cornwall Police, a 28-year-old man, described as a white British national, was arrested at an address in the South Yorkshire area on suspicion of the murder and is now in police custody; the force said Widdecombe's family have been informed and that it was supported in the operation by counter-terrorism policing in the North East and by South Yorkshire Police. An earlier suspect, a 26-year-old man, had been arrested and then released.
By day four of the inquiry, police had firmed up the detail of where that arrest took place. According to the account, officers confirmed at a press briefing that the 28-year-old had been detained in Rotherham, a town in South Yorkshire, and Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman was among those providing frequent updates. Investigators, who declined to take questions at the briefing, indicated the suspect was being questioned by detectives throughout the day, with time pressure now building over whether they will be able to bring charges.
What began as an inquiry rooted in one corner of Devon has grown into an operation stretching across the country. According to the account, an investigation that for the previous few days had been focused on the area of Dartmoor, at the foot of Haytor in the national park, now reaches several hundred miles north into the north of England, drawing in South Yorkshire Police alongside the Devon and Cornwall force that retains primacy of the case.
The way she was found underlined the gravity of the case. According to the account, Widdecombe was attacked at her house on the Wednesday afternoon, at around half past twelve, suffering serious injuries, but it was nearly 24 hours later that she was discovered by ambulance crews who then alerted police, with her death confirmed the following day; officers said they would maintain a high presence in the area in order to reassure local residents while the inquiry continues.
The public has been drawn heavily into the search for answers. According to the account, Devon and Cornwall Police said they had received around 120 reports from members of the public through a dedicated online portal, and had appealed for material such as dashcam and doorbell camera footage, including in relation to reports of a car being driven suspiciously that were passed on by a garage near the scene. The local police and crime commissioner visited the area and laid a wreath and flowers in tribute.
Investigators have also been piecing together a detailed picture of her final hours. According to the account, on the Wednesday morning she took part in a live television interview, and in the early afternoon she was still in contact with a television news researcher to arrange a further appearance, sending a last message at around nineteen minutes past twelve that read simply, received, panic over. A little over an hour later she failed to join a scheduled video call for that planned interview, and repeated attempts by the producer to reach her went unanswered, before she was found dead at her home the following day.
The counter-terrorism re-arrest marked a clear shift from the earlier public stance of investigators. According to the account, in the days immediately after her death, including at briefings on the Friday and the Sunday, police had said there was no information at that stage to suggest the death was terror-related, that they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the murder, and that detectives remained open-minded about the potential motive; even so, Reform UK members of Parliament were reportedly given round-the-clock protection in the wake of her death, with the party arguing that politicians face a heightened risk of attack.
Widdecombe built her name over a long career in Parliament. According to the account, she served as a Member of Parliament and later as a Member of the European Parliament before retiring from Westminster at the 2010 general election, closing that chapter of her political life after years in frontline politics.
Her departure from Westminster did not mean she left public view. According to the account, in October the following year she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, the popular television programme, where she was partnered with the professional dancer Anton Du Beke and took part in the competition in front of a large national audience.
It was on that show that she produced one of her most memorable television moments. According to the account, Widdecombe became famous for being dragged along the ballroom floor during one of her routines, an image that came to symbolise the light-hearted, crowd-pleasing side of her stint on the programme.
Away from television, she remained active in politics and continued to shift the ground she stood on. According to the account, she became a member of the Brexit Party in 2019, signalling a move away from the Conservative Party with which she had long been associated during her years in Parliament.
In more recent years, she aligned herself with a newer political force. According to the account, Widdecombe went on to associate herself with Reform UK, remaining a recognisable presence in public debate and keeping a foot in political life right through the later stages of her career.
The case has now been taken up at the highest levels of government. In a statement to the House of Commons, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that on Wednesday Anne Widdecombe was murdered in her home, described the circumstances of her death as extremely distressing and confirmed that counter-terrorism policing had taken the lead in the investigation. She told MPs she would always be vigilant to changing threats, said security measures for parliamentarians are kept under constant review, and noted that police intend to issue guidance to MPs soon and will contact them in their constituencies to offer support.
Mahmood placed the killing in the context of previous attacks on politicians, telling the Commons she was thinking of two other members of the House, Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, who were also murdered. She said she had recently commissioned the former Lord Chancellor, Sir Robert Buckland, to review the lessons from the murder of Sir David Amess, including required improvements to security for MPs working in their constituencies, and added that she would look at what security guidance could be provided to former members of parliament as well.
The Home Secretary also singled out the concern felt by one party in particular. According to her statement, Mahmood acknowledged there would be particular concern for Reform UK and its leader, Nigel Farage, and said she had offered him a meeting with the chair of the independent Home Office body that manages the security of those in public life. Farage responded that he would meet the chair of that body and would discuss the security of all Reform politicians, including those who are not MPs.
Investigators later gave more insight into why counter-terrorism officers had taken over the case. According to the account, police said they had now established evidence of some form of motive, which had brought about the involvement of counter-terrorism policing, and the head of counter-terrorism police said they were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish just why the 78-year-old was murdered, describing it as a complex and dynamic investigation. Police also confirmed to Parliament that the suspect was not known to Prevent, the government's counter-radicalisation programme, and cautioned against speculation while the forensic work at Widdecombe's home continued and the inquiry widened across multiple locations.
Six days into the inquiry, counter-terrorism officers set out their clearest assessment yet of what happened. According to the account, they said it is clear that this was a targeted attack, one that involved planning and preparation, while stressing that they are still working to understand the full extent of that planning and the motivation behind it. Officers underlined that this remains a murder investigation following a brutal attack on a 78-year-old woman in her own home, and said the work was being conducted sensitively, mindful of the impact of what had happened.
Detectives were also handed more time to question the man at the centre of the case. According to the account, police were granted a further seven days to hold the 28-year-old suspect, counting from the moment he was re-arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences, as they continued to question him and pressed on with forensic searches at the property in Rotherham, while evidence gathering carried on in Devon, where a significant police cordon remained in place. Investigators said there were now multiple lines of inquiry, among them a digital forensic examination of material seized during the operation.
One thread investigators are examining relates to the last public act of her life. According to the account, Widdecombe had appeared on television on the morning of her death, and whether that appearance played any part in motivating the attacker is now one of the lines of inquiry being pursued. The question of the safety of politicians, both serving and former, has returned to the spotlight, with the man widely tipped to become the next prime minister, Andy Burnham, saying there needs to be a serious review of the security afforded to members of Parliament.