A relative of the man held on suspicion of murdering Ann Widdecombe voiced concerns about Nigel Farage’s safety just a day before the politician was killed, raising fresh questions about the climate of fear surrounding British politics.
In Instagram posts seen by The Sun and dated July 8 – the same day Widdecombe is thought to have died – the woman agreed with another user that the Reform UK leader should hold in-person surgeries ahead of next month’s by-election in Clacton-on-Sea. However, she also questioned whether it was safe for him to speak to voters face-to-face in his former constituency.
“Suspect's relative raised Farage safety concerns day before Widdecombe's murder”
The relative had previously posted a series of comments about Donald Trump, calling him a ‘psychopath’ and questioning his intelligence. In one post seemingly calling for his death, she said the US president would be able to comprehend a bullet. There is no suggestion at this time that the relative knew of Widdecombe’s death at the time, nor is it believed she was close to the suspect.
Joshua Kerry, 28, was arrested at his home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on July 11, two days after Widdecombe’s body was found at her bungalow in Haytor Vale, Dartmoor. She had suffered what police described as “serious injuries” that could not easily be explained by a fall. Counter Terrorism Policing South East later took over the investigation after “new information and evidence” came to light. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of counter terrorism policing, described the attack as “brutal” and “targeted”, but stopped short of declaring it a terrorist incident.
A 26-year-old man initially arrested was released the following morning, no longer part of the inquiry. Kerry, who worked in the admin department of a lift installation and repair firm, had a red Vauxhall Corsa seized. Neighbours and relatives told The Telegraph that he had lived alone following the recent death of his father, Paul Yates. An aunt described him as “shy” and a “quiet boy” who had “never” been remotely violent, adding: “His arrest is a massive shock for the family.”
Widdecombe, 78, served as a Tory MP from 1987 to 2010 and was shadow home secretary under William Hague. She defected to the Brexit Party in 2019 and later became Reform UK’s immigration and justice spokesman. Outside politics, she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and was a practising Roman Catholic known for her love of animals.
Farage has long spoken about fears for his safety. As he resigned from his seat in Clacton – to run against 33 candidates, including Count Binface and three members of the Monster Raving Loony Party – he said he will need security “for the rest of his life” following a series of alleged breaches. “For daring to be outside the consensual view on many issues, I’ve been attacked again and again,” he said. “I am the most physically and verbally attacked public figure or politician of modern times.” He added that his security is now provided by crypto billionaire Christopher Harbourne, who “gifted” him £5,000,000 in 2024 – a sum Farage did not declare. Critics have questioned Farage’s finances, but he insisted he had “done nothing wrong” and “not broken the law in any way”.
Reform’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf called an emergency press conference on July 15 to discuss MPs’ security, saying: “An attack on one politician is an assault on our democracy itself.” The murder of Widdecombe comes a decade after the killing of Labour MP Jo Cox by a neo-Nazi and six and a half years after the murder of Conservative MP David Amess by an Islamic extremist. The New Statesman noted that crimes against MPs recorded by police have doubled since 2019, while death threats against elected representatives have tripled. With a relative of the suspect already questioning Farage’s safety, the question now is whether the violence that has infected British politics can be contained.