Nigel Farage told not to speculate on Ann Widdecombe murder case
Nigel Farage has been criticized after sharing his thoughts on the death of Ann Widdecombe during a police murder investigation.
Former Reform England spokeswoman Ms Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor, Dartmoor, on Thursday morning.
A 28-year-old white British man was arrested on suspicion of murder in Rotherham, 160 miles away, on Saturday evening.
Reform leader Mr Farage is facing criticism for comments he made to the press in Devon after paying tribute to Ms Widdecombe on Saturday.
He told reporters he believed the attack on him was “premeditated murder” and said a car appeared on the road at around 12.25pm on Wednesday.
Mr Farage also said: “I don’t think it would be helpful to speculate at the moment.”
Former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor was among Mr Farage’s critics, telling The Times: “Police have clearly asked the public not to speculate about the motive for the incident.
“So it is deeply disappointing that Nigel Farage has chosen to do exactly that.”
The Guardian quoted an unnamed Labor Minister as saying: “We all want the police to have the space to do their job. Talking MPs rarely help the police during investigations.”
Former Conservative justice minister David Gauke told the newspaper that people in public life “should know better than to speculate publicly”.
Devon and Cornwall Police Deputy Chief Constable Matt Longman appealed against speculation on Sunday.
He said: “We are aware of online and public speculation, particularly regarding motive.
“Once again, I urge people not to share or engage in this speculation – it serves no purpose, does not assist our investigation and is particularly distressing for Ms Widdecombe’s family and friends.”
Responding to Mr Proctor’s criticism, Mr Farage told The Times: “Harvey was very close to Ann, I know she was upset but I was really careful not to get political.
“What I said was very clear, I said I wasn’t going to speculate whether it was someone with a grudge, whether it was someone with a mental health issue, whether it was someone with political issues.
“I also said that I don’t believe for a second that there was a burglary gone wrong, and I’m 100% sure I was right about that.”
