28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering former UK lawmaker
By Max Saltman, CNN
(CNN) — A 28-year-old man was arrested Saturday evening in South Yorkshire, England, “on suspicion of the murder of” former UK lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, according to British police.
“The suspect, who is a white British national, is now in police custody,” said the statement from Devon and Cornwall Police. “Miss Widdecombe’s family have been informed of this development.”
“We were supported by Counter Terrorism Policing North East and South Yorkshire Police who carried out the arrest on behalf of Devon & Cornwall Police,” the statement continued.
The police said that there is no information to suggest Widdecombe’s murder was an act of terrorism or politically motivated.
The former lawmaker was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, on Thursday. Police say they believe Widdecombe died the day before her body was discovered.
She had “sustained serious injuries,” Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said in an earlier statement.
Saturday’s arrest is the second in the investigation into Widdecombe’s death. On Friday police briefly arrested, then released a 26-year-old from custody. That man “is no longer part of the investigation,” police said.
Widdecombe, 78, was a former Conservative Member of Parliament, government minister and fixture on British television. In 2019, she was elected to European Parliament as a member of right-wing lawmaker Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. After the UK formally withdrew from the EU, she served as the immigration spokesperson for the Brexit Party’s successor organization Reform UK.
Farage released a statement on Instagram mourning Widdecombe on Friday, saying that she “gave her life to public service.”
Farage visited Devon on Saturday to lay a wreath for Widdecombe, according to UK news agency PA Media.
Reform’s MPs are now being given 24-hour security protection following Widdecombe’s death, PA reported.
The security is being paid for by the party and was offered for fear of similar attacks.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
