A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe has been released and is no longer part of the investigation, police said on Saturday amid a deepening probe in the former Tory minister’s shocking death at her Dartmoor home.
“Our murder enquiry is in its early stages but moving at a significant pace. We are deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened,” said assistant chief constable Matt Longman as Devon and Cornwall police appealed for help with their investigation.
Ambulance workers called police to the 78-year-old’s home in rural southwest England on Thursday morning, where she had been found dead after suffering serious injuries. Detectives launched a murder investigation and began forensic examinations at the home.
A cordon remained in place on Saturday and a large police presence is expected in the area while detectives go house-to-house to speak to neighbours and review surveillance footage. Officers were supporting the former Conservative minister’s next-of-kin as tributes flooded in from across the political and celebrity spectrum.
Here’s what we know about what happened to Ann Widdecombe:
Who was the suspect arrested and released by police?
A 26-year-old white British national was arrested at an address in Newton Abbot on Friday on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.
The Devonshire town is about nine miles (15km) from Widdecombe’s home in rural southwest England.
Devon and Cornwall Police launched a manhunt after Ms Widdecombe was found dead and swooped on the suspect in the afternoon, a little over a day after she was discovered at her home in Haytor by the ambulance service.
Police did not name or identify the man, and on Saturday said he had been released from custody.
What have police said about murder probe?
Devon and Cornwall police announced they were treating the death as murder on Friday afternoon.
They said Ms Widdecombe had been found at home with “serious injuries” and appealed for anybody with information that could be helpful to come forward.
ACC Longman told reporters there was “no information” at this time to suggest the murder of Ann Widdecombe was a “politically motivated crime”. He also said the death was not being treated as a terrorist incident.
One neighbour said she thought Ms Widdecombe’s gardener, who arrived every Thursday morning, may have found the politician, who was pronounced dead, having allegedly suffered a head injury.
Others suggested her friend and carer, who is believed to have lived nearby, found her at home.
How have friends and politicians reacted?
Tributes have poured in from all sides of the political spectrum, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, describing her as “an absolute force of nature” and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch calling her a “very fun and feisty woman who spoke her mind”.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was “a huge loss” and insisted it was important to “rise above any political differences” and focus on catching Ms Widdecombe’s killer.
“Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss,” he told reporters at Chequers.
Mr Farage said he was “deeply, deeply upset” by the nature of her death, and that the nation was “a much, much poorer place without her”.
“Reform UK is certainly a much worse place without her. I was expecting to see her in Clacton over the course of the next few days. Sadly, that is not going to happen,” he said.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton Du Beke has said he was “devastated” to hear that Ann Widdecombe has died. The pair were partnered together on the BBC One dancing programme in 2010.
“She became a real friend. She was fun. She was upbeat. She was positive. She was supportive. We had an incredible time together and we stayed firm friends.”
A spokeswoman for Andy Burnham said: “Andy’s deepest condolences and thoughts are with Ann’s family today, in incredibly distressing circumstances. Ann gave a lifetime of public service, and it’s absolutely right that the police put all their resources into investigating this as swiftly as possible.”
Who was Ann Widdecombe?
Ms Widdecombe was well known for her bluntness and staunch socially conservative views, first as a junior minister in Conservative prime minister John Major’s 1992-1997 government and latterly as an immigration and justice spokesperson for Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK.
Throughout her political career, she argued against abortion and opposed equalising the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual relationships.
She also defended a policy of shackling pregnant prisoners during child birth to prevent their escape, and viewed single mothers as poor role models, but was unusual among Conservative lawmakers in opposing the hunting of foxes with hounds.
Widdecombe said she never had sex or experienced romance, and converted to Catholicism partly in protest at the Church of England’s ordination of women as priests.
After leaving parliament, she appeared on the TV talent show Strictly Come Dancing in 2010. Despite criticism from the judges, she was popular with viewers. Later she said the show’s decision to feature same-sex couples was out of keeping with its family audience.
Mr Farage said she “played a decisive role in getting Brexit over the line”.
