Man arrested on suspicion of Ann Widdecombe’s murder is released | UK news
The 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of the murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe has been released and is no longer part of the investigation, Devon and Cornwall police said in a statement early on Saturday.
Deputy Chief Constable Matt Longman said in a statement: “Our priority is to identify those responsible and ensure that all available evidence is thoroughly examined.”
“Detectives continue to conduct multiple inquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we are committed to determining the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Devon and Cornwall police said Widdecombe’s body was found with “serious injuries” by the ambulance service at his home in Haytor, Devon, at 11.40am on Thursday.
Longman said the investigation was “moving at a significant pace,” adding: “We are using all necessary resources to find out exactly what happened.
“I would appeal to anyone with information about this incident, no matter how trivial it may seem, to come forward and speak to us.
“We will release more information when it becomes available. In the meantime, I would ask people not to speculate about what might happen, especially on social media.”
“Not only is this potentially detrimental to our investigation, it is also deeply distressing for Ms Widdecombe’s family and friends. The family have also asked for their privacy to be respected as they come to terms with what has happened.”
On Friday, police said they were looking for a white male in connection with the death and later confirmed that a 26-year-old white British man had been arrested at an address in Newton Abbot, less than 10 miles from Widdecombe’s home.
At a press conference in Exeter on Friday, Longman said the force did not believe the killing was politically motivated at this stage and a terrorist motive had been ruled out following initial consultation with counter-terrorism officers.
Widdecombe, who appeared on TalkTV on Wednesday, lived in a 1970s bungalow called Widdecombe’s Rest in the village of Haytor Vale in the Dartmoor national park. A plaque bearing the name of the property was placed at the end of its journey.
On Friday, various political leaders expressed shock and dismay at the alleged murder. Keir Starmer said it was important to “overcome any political differences” and focus on helping the police investigation.
The Prime Minister said: “This is truly shocking news and my thoughts, I think all our thoughts, will be with Ann Widdecombe’s family and friends at this terrible time.
“Ann was an outstanding politician with many accomplishments over many years and this is a very, very great loss.”
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch said she was “stunned” to hear about the murder investigation. “I had a really hard time finding the words to say, to be honest,” he told reporters.
“I don’t understand how someone could do such a terrible thing to an elderly person. It was a disgusting, horrific attack and my heart breaks for his family. “It’s one thing for someone to die, but it’s awful to know he was killed in such a horrific way.
“The Conservative party is reeling. Ann was a long-time member of the Conservative party, was a Conservative minister and then switched to Reform.”
In his post-Commons career, Widdecombe appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010. He became a member of Nigel Farage’s Brexit party in 2019 and served as the MP representing South West England in Brussels between 2019 and 2020.
He later became Reform UK’s immigration and justice spokesperson and remained active in the media; appeared on TalkTV on Wednesday, a day before he was found dead.
Widdecombe was due to appear on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright program on Wednesday afternoon but did not appear, according to ITV’s initial report. He messaged a researcher on the program but did not respond when they tried to contact him to join a Zoom call from home.
ITV said calls and messages sent after the show aired went unanswered and the Channel 5 show’s team contacted its manager later on Wednesday and Thursday.
