Ann Widdecombe, former Tory MP and Reform UK member, dies aged 78 | Ann Widdecombe
Former Conservative government minister Ann Widdecombe has died aged 78, her management said.
Widdecombe, who served as an MP and MP during a long and controversial political career, also gained fame as a television personality in later life. As well as the Conservatives, he was also a member of the Brexit party and its successor Reform.
“He loved the sharp, cutting edge of political debate and, 16 years after leaving parliament, was still actively campaigning for Reform UK and offering clear views on the hot topics of the day on numerous radio and television programmes,” his representatives Cloud9 Management said in a statement on Friday.
“Ann was a valued patron of many causes, especially animal charities.
“As Ann once said on the Graham Norton Show, ‘We only get to this side of eternity once, once. Life is not a dress rehearsal, you find the opportunities you like and go for it, that’s my philosophy.'”
Widdecombe held ministerial posts in John Major’s government, where he clashed with his Conservative colleague Michael Howard, with whom he served in the Home Office, describing him as having “something of the night about him”.
He also clashed with Michael Portillo and the “backbiters” who surrounded him when he failed dismally in his bid to become Conservative Party leader in 2001. Widdecombe said that if he were leader he would never serve under him.
Widdecombe was a prominent Eurosceptic throughout his political career and supported the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum. During his Commons career he was known for his socially conservative views, which included opposing the legality of abortion and wider rights for the LGBT community. He also faced criticism for defending the policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to their beds.
His managers portrayed his political views as a result of what he saw as “strong Christian values and a commitment to public service.”
Widdecombe was a Conservative MP for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and Weald, between 1987 and 2010. He became a member of the Brexit party from 2019 and served as an MP representing South West England in Brussels between 2019 and 2020.
After Nigel Farage founded Reform UK to continue working for the Brexit party, Widdecombe followed and attended the party conference as immigration spokesman the next year.
Health Minister James Murray said Widdecombe “never hesitated to have some pretty strong views” and that everyone could “appreciate his contribution to politics”.
He told Times Radio on Friday: “I think he’s been very much a part of our politics for years. I mean, he’s never been shy about having quite strong views and sharing them quite willingly, and I wouldn’t say I’ve always agreed with his views, but he’s been very much a part of our politics.”
“I think everyone can understand the contribution he made to politics and the role he played in our public life.”
In his post-Commons career, Widdecombe appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, partnering Anton Du Beke and surviving to the semi-finals of the competition thanks to the public vote.
A statement from his management company said: “Of course, for many he will be remembered at his best (or worst?) for his unforgettable performance on Strictly Come Dancing, defying the judges week after week while the public rejoiced at his failed attempts to follow long-suffering Anton Du Beke’s choreography.
“As a consummate professional and a pleasure to work with, tireless to the end, we know this news will come as a great shock to the many colleagues and friends he has made along the way and we offer our condolences to them and his family.”
Widdecombe said he had no interest in sex and had never married.
