The suspect in Ann Widdecombe’s murder “was not known” to the Prevent anti-extremism programme, the home secretary Shabana Mahmood has told MPs.
Ms Mahmood was updating Parliament hours after counter-terrorism police announced they are now leading the investigation into the former Conservative minister’s death.
A 28-year-old white British man is being held on suspicion of murdering the veteran politician, and has also been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Ms Mahmood told MPs that officers were “pursuing multiple lines of inquiry in order to establish the motivation of this attack” and that the suspect was not known to the government anti-extremism scheme Prevent.
She also urged MPs not to speculate while the investigation continued.
“As soon as more information is available that is capable of being shared without compromising any future trial process, that will be done,” she said.
Reform’s Richard Tice hit out at the police as he asked the home secretary to ensure “that the counter-terrorism unit keep us updated on as regular as possible a basis”.
He added that “given the nature of these things… would it be wise, when considering motivation… to keep things being open-ended as opposed to ruling things out too quickly, that may then end up being ruled back in?”
At the weekend Devon and Cornwall police said the case was “not being treated as terrorism” and there was “no information” at that time to suggest it was a “politically-motivated crime”.
Earlier Ms Mahmood had offered the Reform leader Nigel Farage a meeting with the chair of the independent body within the Home Office that manages the security of those in public life after another senior Reform figure, Zia Yusuf, accused ministers, the Speaker and the police of not caring about the security of his party’s MPs.
The Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said MPs’ security concerns are treated equally and are “passed on to the security people to deal with”.
He told MPs: “Every member of Parliament is equal in their security to me – there is no difference between any member, I want to reassure you.
“When things are brought to my attention – because we don’t discuss security, I don’t put out there what is happening, what has been done – but I reassure everybody that when it is mentioned to me, it is passed on to the security people to deal with.
“Unfortunately, I’m sorry that people don’t think I do that.”
Earlier, the head of National Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP), Laurence Taylor, said the investigation had been transferred aftre “new information and evidence” came to light.
“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,” he 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.”
