The body of Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative minister turned Reform UK spokesperson, was discovered by her carer in the kitchen of her Devon home on Thursday, police confirmed. She had sustained serious head injuries and may have been dead for more than 24 hours. Now, senior police figures are urging the public and politicians to stop speculating about the motive, after Nigel Farage described the killing as 'premeditated murder'.
Devon and Cornwall Police said on Sunday the investigation was not being treated as terrorism or politically motivated, adding there was 'nothing to suggest' that. Officers said they remained open-minded and appealed for calm, warning that speculation was 'unhelpful to the investigation and distressing for Widdecombe’s family'.
“Police urge public not to speculate after Nigel Farage calls Ann Widdecombe's death 'premeditated murder'.”
Farage, who worked with Widdecombe as a Brexit Party MEP and later as a Reform UK spokeswoman, visited the area around her home in Haytor shortly after news of her death. On Saturday, he told journalists her death appeared to be 'premeditated murder', and argued that the case demonstrated a more dangerous world for public figures. He also questioned a police theory that the killing may have been a burglary gone wrong. 'If you were a burglar, would you literally drive your car onto someone’s drive?' he said, referring to a car that arrived at 12:25-12:30 on Wednesday. Widdecombe was due to appear on Channel 5 at 1pm, but a researcher’s Zoom link got no reply.
Politicians from across the spectrum have urged restraint. Former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke said people in public life 'should know better than to speculate publicly', while Sir Peter Fahy, former chief constable of Greater Manchester police, called the trend of politicians commenting on active murder investigations 'a very noticeable trend' that misunderstands the nature of a murder investigation. 'Often at the start it is a bit of a voyage,' he said.
Police have arrested a 28-year-old man in Rotherham on suspicion of murder, who remains in custody. Officers said they were not looking for anyone else and there was no evidence of a wider threat. Earlier, a 26-year-old was arrested and later released, no longer connected to the case. Farage, while arguing the killing was premeditated, acknowledged uncertainty: 'Whether it was politically motivated, whether it was someone with a grudge. I don’t think it pays at this time to speculate.'
