Inside Ann Widdecombe’s quiet Dartmoor life – a world away from Westminster politics and celebrity culture

KHaytor Vale residents assumed there had been an accident on the moor when they heard police sirens for the first time on Thursday morning.

Surrounded by the imposing granite outcroppings of Haytor and Hound Tor, the setting of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s unforgettable detective novel Hound of the BaskervillesVillagers are much more accustomed to the warning signs passed by Dartmoor Search and Rescue than armed police vans.

Most people in the village never lock their doors, and during a heatwave even the ground floor windows of the 25 or so houses in the village of Haytor, most of which are detached and well-kept, remain open for days.

Like many locals, Ann Widdecombe moved to the pretty village overlooking the Teign Estuary from miles away to get away from it all, settling into a bungalow she calls ‘Widdecombe’s Rest’ for “the rest of my days”.

“A lot of people think it means rest, they think it means resting,” he once told an interviewer on local news site DevonLive with his trademark grin. “But really that means the rest of Widdecombe’s life!”

His bungalow, bought for an estimated £600,000 in 2008, is located on a quiet crossroads at the top of the village, surrounded by large manicured lawns, and there is an outdoor swimming pool with a slide at the rear of the house. He is said to have built this house in 2010 with the money he earned from his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing with Anton du Beke.

But the 78-year-old former Conservative MP and prisons minister played a limited role in village life, despite living in a small community with only a handful of neighbours.

He once told an interviewer in Moorlander magazine: “I came here for peace and quiet. I know my neighbours, but if I want to see my friends I go to London. When you get to my age, your friends are scattered everywhere and my friends visit here, especially because I have a swimming pool.”

And it’s fair to say that, as an outspoken celebrity politician in England, as far away from celebrity culture and Westminster politics as you can get, he is something of an anomaly.

Many of his neighbors said they barely knew him beyond a polite greeting on the street. He was clearly not part of his neighbor’s WhatsApp group, who had been texting angrily since dozens of police arrived at his home.

A neighbor said he thought Mrs Widdecombe’s gardener, who came every Thursday morning, found the diminutive politician, who was reported dead, allegedly suffering from head injuries. Others suggested that her friend and babysitter, who was believed to live nearby, found her at the house.

Always outspoken and a regular talk show guest, she appeared on Talk TV the day before her death to defend Nigel Farage’s byelection rally in Clacton.

“She was just a sweet little old lady,” said one villager, who wished to remain anonymous and avoid speaking ill of his dead neighbor. “He’d say hello when I cycled past him. He might even have made the odd comment about me being bloated from cycling up the hill. I hated his politics, but he was nice enough.”

These divisive policies and the Reform UK flags around his election-time bungalow have led some neighbors to say they don’t talk to him much.

“Let’s just say we don’t agree with his politics,” a close neighbor said. “He used to put Reformation UK flags outside his house. He didn’t agree with women being ordained priests, so he joined the Catholic church. He didn’t talk to many people here.”

Ms Widdecombe, a Christian, converted to Catholicism in 1993 and told the then New Statesman that women’s participation in the ceremony was “the final straw”. He regularly attended Sunday morning services at nearby Buckfast Abbey.

He switched from the Conservative Party to the Brexit Party in 2019 and served as a Brexit Party MP for South West England from 2019 to 2020. He later joined Reform UK in 2023 and served as the party’s immigration and justice spokesperson.

Craig Matthews, a private estate manager in Dartmoor, said he had seen her driving around in a small blue car and occasionally at a local shop in neighboring Ilsington, a half-hour walk or five-minute drive away.

“I only met him a few times in the village shop,” the 34-year-old man said. “Everyone knew who he was but he seemed a bit rude to be honest. I would see him as I walked past him and say hello. I didn’t agree with him politically but I would never want something like that to happen to anyone. It’s quite shocking, everyone is in shock and disbelief.”

“He was quite a controversial figure,” said another. “But no one deserves that. I didn’t really know him. He used to give speeches and stuff at the WI though and he was hilarious in every way.”

Ms Widdecombe’s death was announced by her management company Cloud9 Management on Friday morning. In a statement they said: “It is with great shock and sadness that today we announce the death of Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe DSG, aged 78. Cloud9 Management represented Ann for over a decade and we will miss her greatly.

“His life and career were guided by strong Christian values ​​and a commitment to public service. He loved the rigor and impact of political debate and, 16 years after leaving parliament, was still actively campaigning for Reformation UK and offering clear views on the hot issues of the day on numerous radio and television programmes.

‘As a consummate professional and tireless person who was a pleasure to work with, we know that 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 their family.’

Just before 4pm on Friday, Devon and Cornwall Police announced they had opened a murder investigation into his death, and at 6pm they issued a statement saying a 26-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of murder at an address in Newton Abbot, just a few miles from Haytor. He has since been released and is no longer part of the investigation.

Praise poured in from across the political spectrum, with reformist UK leader Nigel Farage describing her as “an absolute force of nature” and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch describing her as “a feisty woman who is great fun and speaks her mind”.

Former Strictly partner Anton du Beke said: “She became a true friend. She was fun, she was optimistic. She was positive. This is a sad day and I am devastated by the news of Ann’s passing but I will remember her fondly and miss her.”