Devon and Cornwall Police have launched a manhunt for a man they describe as white, after detectives confirmed the death of former MP Ann Widdecombe is now being treated as murder, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage revealed to have spoken directly with the force’s Chief Constable.
Police have confirmed they are hunting for a white male suspect after the death of former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe was formally reclassified as murder. Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement: “We are deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened and to locate the person responsible who we believe to be a white male.” The announcement came hours after her death was first confirmed early Friday morning by her representative, initially with no suggestion of anything beyond natural causes.
Coroner Confirms Preliminary Inquiries Under Way
A spokesman for the coroner’s office covering Devon, Plymouth and Torbay confirmed that “preliminary inquiries are ongoing” as police work to establish the full circumstances of Widdecombe’s death. Road closures remain in place around her property in Haytor, on Dartmoor, while the investigation continues.
Farage’s Direct Line to the Chief Constable
GB News, which reported the story under its self-described identity as “the People’s Channel,” disclosed that Nigel Farage had personally spoken with the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police in the wake of the announcement. The contact came as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged the public to avoid speculation in order to allow the police investigation to proceed unimpeded, following her own discussions with the force’s Chief Constable.
Mahmood confirmed the Home Office “stands ready to provide whatever support they need with their ongoing investigation.” She added: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Ann Widdecombe. The circumstances of her death are extremely distressing and my thoughts are with Ann’s family and loved ones.”
What Officers Found at the Scene
Police were called to Widdecombe’s home at 11.40am on Thursday, and found the 78-year-old with what were described as serious injuries. A carer who worked for her is believed to have discovered her body. Detectives had initially been working to establish whether her death might have resulted from a fall, before concluding it should be treated as murder. Specialist forensic officers have been carrying out a detailed search of the property and surrounding area, while a post-mortem examination is expected to establish the precise cause of death. The property remains cordoned off while crime scene investigators continue gathering evidence, and officers are appealing to anyone who witnessed suspicious activity nearby, or who holds relevant CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage, to come forward.
Tributes Continue to Pour In
Widdecombe’s death has prompted tributes from across British politics. Nigel Farage, who described her as an “absolute force of nature,” told TalkTV: “She never let anyone… with any doubt in their minds at all where she stood on all the great issues of the day, and she was formidable too. I mean, I can tell you, the times when I used to get a phone call from Ann, abrupt Ann on the phone, saying she disagreed with what I’d done or what I’d said. And you know, she’d come to London and we’d sit down over a coffee and talk things through. But that was the thing about Ann: that all the disagreements she had with us over policy and direction and all the normal debate, that was always kept behind closed doors. You know, in public, she was the most incredibly loyal ally.” He added that her defection to the Brexit Party marked a “very significant” moment in British political history, saying: “She made us look serious. She made us look real.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also paid tribute, calling her a “formidable politician” in a social media post: “My deepest condolences and those of the Conservative Party to the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe. She was a formidable politician who was never afraid to speak her mind and fought hard for what she believed. Always true to herself, her politics were strongly guided by her faith and her values. Rest in Peace, Ann.”
Widdecombe’s agents, Cloud 9 Management, said in their statement announcing her death: “It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of The Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe DSG. We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends.”
A Career That Spanned Decades
Widdecombe served as Conservative MP for Maidstone and The Weald for more than two decades before standing down from the Commons in 2010. She returned to elected politics nearly a decade later, campaigning for Britain’s exit from the EU as a Member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party, before later becoming Reform UK’s immigration and justice spokeswoman following her defection to the party in 2023. She appeared on television to back Farage just two days before her death, ahead of the Clacton by-election.
A Catholic convert, she was known for outspoken positions on issues including abortion, same-sex marriage and drugs policy, and was a fierce critic of net zero measures, arguing Britain had no need to bear their cost and describing the underlying climate science as “robustly disputed.” Beyond Westminster, she became widely known to television audiences through appearances on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother, cementing her status as one of the country’s most recognisable political figures.
