Ann Widdecombe murder latest: Man, 28, arrested in South Yorkshire over death of former Tory minister

A 28-year-old man has been arrested in South Yorkshire on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.

“We can confirm that a 28-year-old man was arrested at an address in the South Yorkshire area this evening (July 11) on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe,” Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement, adding that the suspect was a white British national.

Here’s what we know about what happened to Ann Widdecombe:

If you’re joining us again from yesterday’s news, police announced on Saturday evening that a 28-year-old man had been arrested in the South Yorkshire area on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.

This comes after a 26-year-old man, also identified only as a white British national, was previously arrested on suspicion of murder and subsequently released on Friday.

Police maintained that there was no information to suggest that the 78-year-old’s murder was terrorism-related or politically motivated.

In a further update, police said they believed the attack took place at around 11:30 GMT on Wednesday.

This was the day before ambulance workers called police to Widdecombe’s home, where he was found dead after suffering serious injuries.

08:00: Anne Widdecombe makes her last public appearance with a remote interview on TalkTV.

Afternoon: According to ITV, Widdecombe is in contact with an investigator from Channel 5 before joining the Matt Allwright show remotely at 1pm.

12:19: After an exchange of messages, the investigator receives a final message from Widdecombe, 40 minutes before his interview.

12:48: The investigator messages again, asking Widdecombe to join a Zoom connection. He doesn’t answer. They tried texting and calling again but to no avail. The investigative team contacts his representative and follows up on Thursday.

Police said on Saturday they believed Widdecombe may have been attacked around 12.30am on Wednesday, about 24 hours before she was discovered.

11.40am: Police officers are called to Widdecombe’s home in Haytor by ambulance. There are reports that he was found by a gardener or caretaker early that morning.

6.30am: Sky News reports that Widdecombe has died aged 78.

5.47pm: Devon and Cornwall police say a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. They identified him as a 26-year-old white British national and arrested him in Newton Abbot, about nine miles away.

6:30 a.m.: Police say the man arrested Friday “has since been released” and is no longer part of the investigation.

6.30pm: Devon & Cornwall police have decided not to release any further information about potential suspects or CCTV footage.

23:30 A 28-year-old man was arrested in South Yorkshire this evening on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.

A 28-year-old man was arrested in South Yorkshire this evening on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the suspect, a white British national, was currently in police custody.

Ms Widdecombe’s family have been informed of this development.

In a statement, Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We were supported by Counter Terrorism North East and South Yorkshire Police, who made the arrest on behalf of Devon and Cornwall Police. At this time, there is no information yet that this is a terrorism-related incident and as a force we maintain the priority of the investigation.

“This is a live and active investigation and no further information will be released tonight. We will attempt to provide further updates tomorrow.”

Reform UK MPs are being provided with 24-hour security protection following the death of Ann Widdecombe.

The veteran politician, a former Tory minister and later Reform spokesman, was found dead at his home in Haytor, Dartmoor, at around 11.40am on Thursday after suffering serious injuries.

Reform MPs are now provided with 24-hour security protection following Ms Widdecombe’s death, The Mail reported on Sunday.

Security is paid for by the party and was offered out of fear of similar attacks.

Ann Widdecombe’s personal chauffeur has spoken of his “absolute shock” when he learned the former MP may have been murdered.

Peter Horrell described the former Conservative Party prisons minister as a “wonderful woman” who was “very funny” and “down to earth”.

Speaking to reporters after laying flowers outside her home, he said Ms Widdecombe “expressed no fear” for her safety and that she loved living in Haytor.

“He seemed pretty happy living here on his own. You never expected that, did you? I certainly didn’t. You know, it’s so sad,” she said.

Ann Widdecombe I moved to Haytor Vale to get away from it all and spend ‘the rest of my days’. But as an outspoken famous politician, he was something of an anomaly in village life. Jacqui Merrington I learned.